Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Albert Kernberg
Social climber
Los Angeles
|
|
|
Jul 17, 2017 - 01:05pm PT
|
Not really looking to revive this thread, but as the injured climber it seems as though I should comment.
Eternally grateful to the rescue personnel, my climbing partner and Ryan. Without each of you involved, I'm sure the outcome of my accident would have been quite different. Ryan, thank you for everything. Including immediate access to your father and most importantly making sure David was able to get off the rock safely. I'm sure I'll see you around and will provide all the long hugs necessary for such an assist. Thank you!
I'm most regretful of the other climbers I endangered. Ambyrlnn, I hate that I caused an event which nearly injured you and your boyfriend. I'm sorry. I'm happy you two were not injured.
Rock fall occurred when I attempted to mantel over a large block. The ledge was sloping and I attempted to mantel at the lowest point. Stupid mistake which nearly killed me and injured other climbers. As the rock broke, it pushed me into a wall, then fell first, followed by me. As mentioned in other threads I broke my scapula, glenoid, lots of ribs and punctured my left lung. Had I fell first, the rock would have killed me. For me, I'm happy it didn't happen. Additionally, I'm happy Ryan didn't assist David with lowering my body.
I'm doing physical therapy, regaining movement in my arm and enjoying a lot of time with my wonderful family. Thank you for all the stranger 'get wells'. It means a lot.
Joe
|
|
Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
|
|
|
Jul 17, 2017 - 01:51pm PT
|
Best of luck to you in recovery.
|
|
dirt claud
Social climber
san diego,ca
|
|
|
Jul 17, 2017 - 02:56pm PT
|
Glad to hear you are doing ok, heal up. Thanks for posting and letting us know.
|
|
micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
|
|
|
Jul 17, 2017 - 03:21pm PT
|
Thanks for posting up, Albert. Glad you are well.
Scott
|
|
Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
|
|
|
Jul 17, 2017 - 03:37pm PT
|
Great to hear you are recovering. Funny, I was recounting a story about a rockfall incident on Tahquitz around 1990 to a friend the other night. We both thought of your accident and wondered how you are doing. That's a great post you wrote (except for the bit about not wanting to resurrect this thread:-) I think everyone here is pleased to hear your progress report.
I wrote up an account of the rockfall which I witnessed 27 years ago. It could use a good editor, but here it is.
There is a route on Tahquitz Rock called Zeno’s Paradox. It’s not a complete climb, but rather one beautiful pitch, a sort of variation to The White Maiden’s Walkway. Its exposed location, high on the steep left side of the White Maidens’ Buttress gives the climber an excellent view into the North-West Recess including all the trade routes from The Long Climb over to WhoDunnit.
Zeno’s begins by climbing up and left from the top of pitch two on The White Maiden’s Walkaway into the base of an intimidating left facing corner. After a good stretch of strenuous lay-backing the corner arches left. This is the crux, where one must climb through the overhang onto a steep face protected by a bolt or two… It looks like El Camino Real on steroids.
Standing at the airy perch at the base of the corner, I took in the view. Below me to my left there was a fellow sitting comfortably on the ledge at the top of pitch one of The Long Climb. His leader was doing business with pitch two, The Mummy Crack. They appeared to be having a casual time.
I was about halfway to the roof when I heard the dreaded call from above: “ROCK!!!” I froze, locked my foot into the crack, and searched the sky for the bombardment to come. It must have taken a big bounce off one of those sloping ledges up high since it was way out in the air – not tumbling down the rock face. It was at least a cubic foot in size, and I watched with fascination as it dropped silently into the cool shade of the North-West Recess, ever closer to the cliff as it fell. Then it hit.
The point of impact was the ledge, right next to the afore-mentioned belayer on the Long climb. There was flash and explosion like a grenade. The ledge and climber were obscured by a cloud of dust. As the air cleared, the belayer began screaming until his lungs were empty. He gasped for air like a drowning man breaking the surface of the water. Then came another awesome primal scream. As this process repeated itself I realized there was another person yelling as well; my partner, back around the corner, who could hear but not see what was happening. It was past time for me to get back to work. Charged with a crazy kind of energy I swarmed up the rest of the pitch like a man possessed.
Later, in Humber Park we met the fellow who was so nearly killed. He looked like a Civil War Veteran, a white bandage around his head and his left arm in a makeshift sling, streaks of dried blood on his face and clothes. He was propped up in the bed of a pickup drinking Coronas and selling his climbing gear. I told him what I had seen, and that he was very lucky. “Your screams were most impressive. You should be an opera singer with a voice like that.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His partner passed around some beers and we all had a good laugh.
|
|
phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
|
|
|
Jul 17, 2017 - 04:29pm PT
|
Joe/Albert, it's great to see your post!
Best wishes for a full recovery.
Phyl
|
|
henny
Social climber
The Past
|
|
|
Jul 17, 2017 - 09:26pm PT
|
Good progress report Joe/Albert. Stick with the physical therapy, and hopefully you'll be back at it, good as new. My wife is a PT so I can say from experience that it's a good idea to listen to, and do, whatever they say (haha). Seriously though, good luck on the rehab - get after it.
A general comment: Seems to me that anybody who has spent any time climbing around the north side of Tahquitz has at least one rockfall story (usually multiple) they can relate. That says something. It is the nature of the Tahquitz beast, always be heads up over there, whether climbing or on the ground. Even when doing nothing more than briefly traversing the base it always feels like a war zone of sorts, where bombs can potentially arrive with little or no warning.
|
|
Albert Kernberg
Trad climber
Los Angeles
|
|
|
Jul 18, 2017 - 09:30am PT
|
Thanks everyone. No intentions to sell gear. Depending how bouldering and gym crack sessions go, I'll be back for the Josh and Red Rocks season.
Joe
|
|
aldude
climber
Monument Manor
|
|
|
Jul 18, 2017 - 10:44am PT
|
Or just climb over @ shady,solid Suicide...
|
|
Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
|
|
|
Jul 18, 2017 - 12:04pm PT
|
Or just climb over @ shady,solid Suicide...
That's been my gig for a while. I figure I've done what I'm ever going to on Tahquitz so why risk getting flattened now ;-)
|
|
looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Lassitude 33
|
|
|
Jul 18, 2017 - 12:16pm PT
|
Joe,
Great to hear that you are recovering and (of course) your first person narrative of what happened.
Like others, I've witnessed the unpredictability of rockfall at Tahquitz, and how once solid seeming features can dangerously loosen over a season or two.
Best wishes,
Randy
|
|
skcreidc
Social climber
SD, CA
|
|
|
Jul 18, 2017 - 12:28pm PT
|
Albert, glad to hear your healing up and looking forward to getting back out on the rock. And thanks for posting up your version of what happened to you.
|
|
dhayan
climber
culver city, ca
|
|
|
Jul 18, 2017 - 12:32pm PT
|
So glad to hear your are healing well, best wishes.
Dhayan
|
|
guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
|
|
|
Jul 18, 2017 - 01:22pm PT
|
Good to see your on the mend...
so many of these incidents end with the injured climber never returning to the sport.
Good luck with the recovery.
|
|
Albert Kernberg
climber
Los Angeles
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018 - 03:51pm PT
|
It's been a year and this is for me.
In all ways, this has been the best year of my life.
Physical therapy f*#king sucks, but is 100% necessary.
Back to running laps on gym cracks and bouldering outdoor slabs. Plan on getting back to placing gear in a month or two.
|
|
krahmes
Social climber
Stumptown
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018 - 09:53pm PT
|
Good on you Albert. Probably a little worse for the wear, but wiser. That is how life goes. Fair travels.
|
|
Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
|
|
Nice, Albert. Good to hear. May your little epic be the worst you ever experience in the mountains. Some good advice on this thread, too.
BAd
|
|
johntp
Trad climber
socal
|
|
This business of following other parties up this area of the rock, even if the other party in on an adjacent route, is not smart. Be the first one's there or do something else.
Wise words Kris. I nearly died on Sahara Terror back in the '80s when my partner almost pulled a refrigerator block off. The next day it cut loose when a leader pulled on it; his belayer bled to death on the belay ledge below from a severed arm.
|
|
johntp
Trad climber
socal
|
|
I'd consider myself pretty competent, but I didn't know that the NEB was especially dangerous for climbers below. Perhaps we should make sure this is prominent on the MP and ST descriptions for the NEB? I don't frequent supertopo so it might already be there....
Not being below other parties is pretty good advice ANYWHERE loose rock is found. Most routes in the sierra and other alpine areas fit this.
|
|
Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
|
|
I always felt that the North Face of Tahquitz was largely a rubble pile. There are some fun lines that follow faces or features between the junk corners, and a few of the longer crack systems are middling. But these are few and far between. There's a reason that the base of the wall is talus field, growing by the season. The fact that more people haven't been injured up there is remarkable. Same with the north face of Middle Cathedral in Yosemite. Crap rains down the wall 24-7.
Anything right of White Maiden is usually sound. To the left - not so much.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!