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Asa Firestone
Big Wall climber
Boulder, CO
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Jul 30, 2012 - 05:29pm PT
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BrassNuts
Trad climber
Save your a_s, reach for the brass...
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Jul 30, 2012 - 07:29pm PT
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Very sad story, a terrible loss to family and friends. Thanks to TY and all the rescue crew for their hard efforts.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jul 30, 2012 - 08:00pm PT
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hey there say, asa.... man oh man, it sure is a whole other world, in a sense, up there...
edit (was said as to the picture of one of the climbers, up there, that loved that area)...
strong beauty, but dangerous is its name... :(
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Jul 30, 2012 - 09:11pm PT
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Thanks so much to all the people who helped in the recovery. Such a difficult task which means so much to friends and family. We salute your courage and humanity.
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climbers' mom
Social climber
Wilderness, VA
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Jul 31, 2012 - 08:27am PT
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Some words from Pope John Paul II that Ben shared before the accident. God rest the souls of Ben and Gil, and let us thank God for the inspiration they gave us.
“If it is true that sports activity, in developing and perfecting the physical and psychological potential of the person, contributes to a more complete maturity of the character, this is especially true for those who practice mountain climbing and engage in it in respect for the ideals which this sport sustains and nourishes. I exhort you in the words of my predecessor, Pius XII, to be “docile to the lessons of the mountain: . . . it is a lesson in spiritual elevation, of an energy which is more moral than physical.” I congratulate you on your programs which aim at educating your members in respect for nature and in a deepened examination of the message which she imparts to the human spirit. Have special concern for the young, to train them to follow the type of life that the mountains demand of their devotes. It requires rigorous virtues in those who practice it: strict discipline and self-control, prudence, a spirit of sacrifice and dedication, care and solidarity for others.Thus we can say that mountain-climbing develops character. In fact, it would not be possible to face disinterestedly the difficulties of life on the mountains if the physical and muscular strength, which is very necessary, were not sustained by a strong will and an intelligent passion for beauty. Help your members also to be contemplatives, to enjoy ever more deeply in their mind the message of creation. In contact with the beauties of the mountains, in the face of the spectacular grandeur of the peaks, the fields of snow and the immense landscapes, man enters into himself and discovers that the beauty of the universe shines not only in the framework of the exterior heavens, but also that of the soul that allows itself to be enlightened, and seeks to give meaning to life. From the things that it contemplates, in fact, the spirit is lifting up to God on the breath of prayer and gratitude towards the Creator.”
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TYeary
Social climber
State of decay
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 31, 2012 - 11:35am PT
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbYC5Cw08zg
I believe this is a video shot by member(s) of the Casa de Guia. In this video you hear Hector speak about this rescue and recovery, along with some details of the accident. Hector,who along with Ted Alexander, from Skyline and Eric Tomczak were the real heroes of this epic. I was not present when this was shot. We; Eric, Adam, and members of the Police High Mountain Rescue Group were taking Gil down from high camp @17,200' to the base camp @14, 700' at this moment. Please excuse any mistakes in memory, as I am still processing this event.
TY
"I am an Alpinist.
I am this before everything else. It is what has and will define me as long as I have breath in my lungs and a fire in my eyes. These mountains have forged friendships more steadfast than the slowest moving glaciers. Before this is all over I will have a laundry list of friends who have given their lives to conquer these massifs of rock and ice. This is okay with me as each one of them will have lived a life worth living.
I will never stop climbing. I am thankful each day for the lessons I have learned in the truthful cold and for the opportunities I have had to discover exactly who I am. If you identify with the words written here then raise your glass and celebrate the fact that you are one of the lucky ones.
I am an Alpinist. Chase your dreams and be somebody."
Adam Lawrence
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Jul 31, 2012 - 11:40am PT
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Embed? WARNING!! Respectfully presented body of one climber is shown wrapped and prepared for transport home. It will likely be a tough thing for loved ones and friends to see however.
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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TYeary
Social climber
State of decay
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 31, 2012 - 11:52am PT
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Thanks, climbski2.Correction made. I'm still a little fuzzy.
TY
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High Fructose Corn Spirit
Gym climber
-A race of corn eaters
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Jul 31, 2012 - 11:55am PT
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Could someone translate Hector's words, or at least the major points of his conversation. Thanks.
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TYeary
Social climber
State of decay
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 31, 2012 - 01:02pm PT
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Here are some details, without being morbidly graphic , as best as we can determine. Ben and Gil left their tent about 3am. They climbed their new route to the summit of Pulcaraju Oest and reached the top at around 4pm. The last time stamp on for a summit photo was 4:01pm. Kind'a late in the day, but it was a new route and it takes time to figure things out. There are some photos of the descent, but only a few and the last time stamp is 6pm, near the top of the serac from which they fell. Few photos can be interpenetrated as the descent was problematic. Their tracks, going up, down and around obstacles attest to this theory. I imagine they were tired, dehydrated and just wanted to get down to their tent. Ben was leading down the ridge. Gil was following. They were moving together in classic alpine style without intermediate points of protection. It is a very complicated descent that cannot be fully appreciated from below. Their tracks show they made many detours and end-runs to get around crevasses and séracs. The tracks end abruptly at the edge of a sérac. It is supposed that Ben could not see where he was on the edge and as he walked to further out to investigate, the lip collapsed, falling away , taking Ben with it. He would have fallen about 10-15 feet down onto a sharp knife edge ridge. Then it was a coin toss as to which side he slid down. He slid down the southern side. He would have had about another 15 to 20 feet of steep, crappy snow to self arrest before he went over the edge of the rock band and into a tumbling fall down this rocky face. He did not arrest and the rope yanked Gil forward, face first, after Ben. Both went over the edge and fell, tumbling, down the rocky face to come to rest on the glacier a below. Estimates as to the length of the fall vary from about 150 to 300 meters. Gil had about 12 feet of rope tied to him, where at that point it was severed. Ben was wrapped in the remainder of their rope. Length of time would have been measured in seconds and death was mercifully quick. These are the details as I know them to be. There are facts that I have mentioned that cannot be explained without going into graphic detail. I reserve the right, out of respect to family and friends who were not their, not to be specific on this forum, as it relates to their deaths. I hope this is understood and respected.
TY
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dirt claud
Social climber
san diego,ca
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Jul 31, 2012 - 01:04pm PT
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Translation:
"We are in the zone that is near the accident. The bodies were found about 20 meters behind me. It appears they followed the main coliuor to the high point where you see the sun shining. There it appears they were looking for a way down and had to backtrack and a chunk of ice fell from beneath them or a mistake of some type was made which caused them to fall.
How far did they fall?
About 200 meters. They had a single rope which indicates that they were not rappelling. They were observing for a way to get down and fell or a piece of ice fell off beneath them."
Wherever it is that our souls go once we pass this plain, I hope you are smiling and climbing Gil and Ben. Very sorry for your loss friends and family.
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TYeary
Social climber
State of decay
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 31, 2012 - 01:53pm PT
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TY
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Jul 31, 2012 - 03:45pm PT
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For the sake of family and friends who have come to this thread and who may not be ready for it, it might be worth giving a warning that one of the climber's bodies appears in the YouTube clip that TYeary links above.
RIP
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Double D
climber
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Jul 31, 2012 - 06:21pm PT
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My condolences go out to all of their family and friends. Thanks for all of your efforts and updates Tony.
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westhegimp
Social climber
granada hills
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Jul 31, 2012 - 06:55pm PT
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Tony
Thanks again for your efforts in the mountains.
Be safe.
Wes
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Jul 31, 2012 - 07:07pm PT
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I guess the working hypothesis is that they were on that serac and it fractured, pitching them both.
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Port
Trad climber
San Diego
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Jul 31, 2012 - 09:02pm PT
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Recone, the same thoughts went through my mind as well. I only knew Gil as a rock climber and not as an Alpinist. I'd be curious to know what level of formal training he had, or if his climbing experience was gained through his friends. Either way, it doesn't matter any more.
The youtube video is pretty hard to watch. Based on his look, Im pretty sure that's Gil. Might want to put a warning on that. Im sure his family will come here.
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Chugach Man
climber
Anchorage / Los Angeles
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Jul 31, 2012 - 10:52pm PT
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Recone, those guys on Denali do deserve a thank you - ripping on these guys isn't gaining them one though. Gil and Ben were well known in multiple climbing circles, and therefore this story got a lot of publicity. It doesn't detract from anyone else's sad demise in the hills. As for the stake... it may have helped, it may not have. We weren't there, and therefore will never know what happened or what other considerations there were. I know somewhere you can put the stake though... and while you're doing so, let's let this thread be, and these guys rest in peace.
Colin, it wouldn't take you much digging to find out what kind of experience Gil had. He had multiple seasons in South America already, and other routes of similar magnitude. Unfortunately, sometimes you draw the wrong card - it could have been any of us. With respect to training, who knows. I've had both types though, and that gained by one-on-one experience with a friend has proved far more valuable than most "formal" trainings.
People, we go into the mountains accepting the risks. Some people push those limits more than others, but anyone can be unlucky, and anyone can be killed - whether it be pushing hard in the Andes, or on some 5.7 at your local crag. You've accepted that for yourselves by being climbers, I recommend you let the deceased rest, and realize they had to accept that to some level as well.
Ben and Gil, on second thought, screw the resting stuff, I hope you're still finding a way to push your limits and be the amazing souls we knew you as, albeit no longer with us, but rather in a better place.
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Bowie
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Jul 31, 2012 - 10:54pm PT
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I second the motion to have Recone hammer a snow stake up his @ss.
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