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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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Am very glad to hear that both Trevor and Claire are doing OK and wish them a speedy recovery.
Sounds like quick action by other climbers helped a great deal as well. Kudos to them.
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RickF
Mountain climber
Temecula, CA
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It is great news that Trevor is expected to recover. I didn't see the fall but I did hear it. I was just around the corner at the bottom of Spatula with my kids.
I am really impressed by the efforts of the great team of "good samaritan" first responders!
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Dr. Rock
Ice climber
Castle Rock
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You know if you call Warner or Paramount, they will pay good money to shoot these stunts, might help offset any co-payments, what say?
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Llama
Big Wall climber
The bubble that is Irvine, CA
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Here's the latest...
Trevor had a Halo neck brace put on today. He'll have to wear the apparatus for three months. When he woke up after the procedure he was in intense pain so he was sedated. A specialist came out today prior to removing the tubes from his neck in order to assess any possible damage to his vocal chords. He had been talking but it was strained and all precautions were being taken to make sure there are no complications here. Trevor will have to remain in the hospital for at least another day or two so doctors can evaluate how he is receiving the Halo. Hopefully the pain will subside and he can go home soon.
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tamberly
Trad climber
san diego
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I've been a trad climber for about 12 years now. I can't believe how lucky both of these climbers are! I hope for a fast and speedy recovery to both. Its interesting how a climber friend and I agree on that 1st piece after the belay needing to be bomber and relatively close to keep the leader from falling on the belayer. A good thing for everyone to remember. I know I stitched up my climb on sunday because of the news.
Captain hook's first pitch is no gimme... and I've heard the 2nd pitch is very hard to protect... In my early years I didn't know any better I would have been very ballsy too. I'm certainly more careful and considerate because of my climbing experience.
My hubby and I helped a climber who fell from the top of the first pitch on White Maiden a couple of years ago.. I know how hard it is to carry someone down. So thanks to everyone that helped!
Good luck to both climbers. Keep the faith
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Geez, my husband and brother carried a gal down years ago from Suicide that died on impact. Got off route on White Maiden climbing with her brother. Serious shee...no matter what grade you are on the rock.
Stuff I've learned in the last few months...check, check and if you don't have the gear or whatever find the next best place.
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esoteric1
Trad climber
san dieco, ca
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i wasnt there but i want to thank clark for being there, from what i gathered from talking to him, he did a damn fine job up there putting everything together. he told me he found the guy, blue and got the airway dialed, and got his neck stabalized.
I know what its like to be in the middle of an accident like this and what tole it takes on the people involved in the rescue. we all owe it to people that have the knowledge and skill to keep these situations all together. if it was me, id put my life in clarks hands anyday.
he also told me that there was NO gear on the rope and i find it hard to believe that that 3 pieces were pulled, and none were found on the rope.
thanks again to the people that went up and got the injured climber off the ledge that wasnt able to decend by herself, we owe alot to the people that get involved in other peoples lives,,, you guys rock!
mark
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NDS
climber
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RickF... were you the family that watched my dog? Thank you so much! I lost track of you and have been hoping you made it down before the hail started in - did you end up getting caught in it? I ended up finding my husband - he did go back up to get the 2nd climber... and of course the hail started when they were on the climb. Everybody made it down fine though.
Llama... your updates have replaced the big eerie question mark of that day with the expectation of a happy ending. It means a lot to us, and I'm sure everyone reading, to know that he is going to be ok.
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Holy sh#t,
so sorry to hear this;
hope they recover in full.
major bummer...
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Llama
Big Wall climber
The bubble that is Irvine, CA
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To answer the question about why no gear was seen on the rope...
The single piece Trevor placed on lead pulled and slid down the rope to the ledge where Claire was belaying. The piece, a #1 BD cam remained on the ledge as Trevor continued to fall. The other two pieces were part of the anchor which Claire was connected to. Since Clair MIRACULOUSLY didn't fall off the ledge, those pieces were also unseen by Clark.
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Llama
Big Wall climber
The bubble that is Irvine, CA
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Trevor is still in the hospital. The tubes are finally out but he has developed Pneumonia. He appears to be managing it fairly well. It seems like it's been a lot of big improvements coupled with a lot of setbacks at the same time for the last several days. Hopefully he'll overcome this new development quickly.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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More good vibes for Trevor here. Hope the pneumonia
is only a temporary blip.
Get better, Trevor! We're pulling for you!
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Tahoe climber
Trad climber
a dark-green forester out west
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Here's wishing good luck to both of the accident victims.
Claire sounds like a very lucky girl.
Actually, they both sound very lucky!
Be careful out there guys and along with the Jesus Nut, exercise the Jesus Judgement, too!
Speedy recovery -
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RickF
Mountain climber
Temecula, CA
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NDS,
Yes we are the family that watched your dog. It was mostly my daughter, she loves Roscoe (SP?). We last saw you by the big flat rock the second time the helicopter came over. I left my pack with our rain jackets up where the trail passes under the big fallen tree. When it started raining I headed back up with my son to get our gear. We got soaked and then the marble sized hail started coming down. We made it out O.K. I got my kids dried off and gave some dry clothes to the guy with no shirt (I think he used his shirt to help wrap Trevor's head). About that time the rain and hail subsided. The hiker/climber who I think was an EMT, and from the posts here I think his name is Clark, took binoculars from his car and said he could still people, (probably your husband and Claire) up on the ledge. What a day! You guys are great people, I'm glad to hear you made it out O.K. too, thanks for helping.
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RickF
Mountain climber
Temecula, CA
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According to Sign-on-SanDiego news the female climber was Claire McKay of Costa Mesa. Anyone know if she has red hair? It's a small world. I think that I may have met her in a climbing class at Suicide a couple of years ago. I'm glad to hear they are both on the mend.
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Llama
Big Wall climber
The bubble that is Irvine, CA
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No red hair on Claire. She's a blondy lass
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whirlybird
Trad climber
san diego, ca
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Best of luck in recovery. I hope we can all learn from it.
I'm pretty new to the climbing scene, so help me out with the scenario. Until now, I understood that a well placed #1 or #3 cam was pretty damn strong. To hear that both of these pulled out makes me wonder why.
Were the placements less than perfect? Is the crack shallow, uneven, or flared? Were they loaded at a weird angle? Was the fall load so much higher than normal?
I know nobody has the complete answer, but any insight you guys (or gals) can give would help me out.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, Ca
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First, I send my best wishes and hopes for a quick and fuill recovery to both of the injured climbers. "There but for the grace..." go most of us.
Re Whirlybird's questions, yes a #1 or 3 Cam placed well in good rock is very strong indeed. In 35 years of trad climbing I have never had a piece that I thought was good pull in a fall or otherwise. Sometimes we elect or are forced to climb over marginal gear but that is another story.
Honestly, what I have read so far about this accident doesn't quite add up. But I think that under the circumstances of a desperate and difficult rescue in terrible weather we may have to settle for less than a complete analysis.
It sounds like everyone involved on the scene did a great job in trying condidtions, and in the end we should all be pleased that the outcome was not one or two fatalaties, which is what happens more often than not when belay anchors fail.
Again, best wishes to Trevor and Claire.
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jstan
climber
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Wbird:
After reading the fairly detailed discussion above, it seems no piece of protection put in the second pitch worked. Now rock will sometimes run this way but when it does you need to belay where there is no question as to your anchors. Period. If you have to belay in slings right below a comfy ledge, that's the breaks. If it looks like you have to break a pitch in half, so be it. That this was not done suggests the party may also not have been experienced in the placing of the protection itself. I have not done that route, but the existence of one problem always suggests there may have been others. Problems are a lot like rattlesnakes. You see one, start looking for another.
You ask a very good question about the placing of protection. Because I can go into a store with shelves absolutely overflowing with shiny stuff and lay down boucou bucks, there is no assurance whatsoever that the stuff will do me any good. None. Probably before you had been born I asked myself the same question. To get answers I went out, got a light hydraulic rig, and began testing my placements up to 3000# dead weight. Backing these tests up with realistically set up simulations of falls. Before going off to climb a person needs to have the experience required to tell whether their placements will do the job that needs doing, or not. If you cannot get some time climbing with someone who has that experience, put your equipment in the closet and leave it there.
Now quite a number of people have gone out and taught themselves, very well I might add, just by pacing themselves very expertly and building their experience on their own. You may be such a person, or you may not. Just know that the risk you run, is appreciable.
Everything we do each day involves one sort of risk or another. The crux is to know how large that risk is and whether what is to be gained is worth it. Getting up on a rock wall is no different from walking down a sidewalk beside a heavily travelled road. Anything and everything can fail at any time. Your judgment and your alertness are your only true protection.
Edit:
G raises a really important point. If you don't like the leader's anchor don't pause for a second. Raise the issue. If you have to go lower on the face to get two good placements, do it.
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