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john hansen
climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 6, 2006 - 10:57pm PT
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Any one had a close call? I'll post my story later.
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Fluoride
Trad climber
California somewhere
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Had one a little too close for comfort in July. A Sunday in Tuolumne, the weather was looking threatening all day. Finally started to clear up later in the day so my partner and I decided to hit something quick and easy so we got on Great White Book. First pitch all is great. Second pitch we see clouds coming over the dome...and getting darker so we start moving as fast as possible. Next pitch the sky opens and pours like I've never seen. As I'm getting towards the top I'm climbing through full on waterfalls and a bolt of lightning hits....VERY close. Flash and immediate boom. Thanks to my hand being immersed in a waterfall and having a couple nice big metal cams hanging off me, I got a little jolt through my hand up my forearm. Smelled that singed arm hair smell. Tingled for a good half hour. Definitely had some voltage going on.
We eventually got to the top, sat under a roof and waited for the storm to pass and hiked off the back. Of course as soon as we started hiking off the sky breaks and the sun comes out. Figures.
Another time a few years ago I was halfway up RR of Fairview Dome when a storm moved in fast. My partner and I were too far up to bail so we simulclimbed from about P5 on as we watched lightening bolts do ground strikes over by Cottage Dome. Those suckers were close. I don't think I've ever climbed so fast in my life. Not that going further up a huge object was the smartest way to avoid lightning, but it was faster than bailing.
Lightning is one of the of few ways I'd accept death. Something very random about it, if that's how I'm meant to go I'm fine with that. But I'm glad I didn't go that day.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
one pass away from the big ditch
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White Mtn this last season when they opened the gate to the station.
Made the summit, saw the clouds, went down, saw a gals hair stand on end. RAN!!! CRACK BOOM!!! 100 yards away. Freakiest sh#t you ever seen.
then several hours of hail dropping my core as a ran 2/3rds the way back to the station. cold!
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F10 Climber F11 Drinker
Trad climber
e350
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Topped out on Fairview in a thunderstorm when that "lighting bolt on Half Dome" poster was everywhere but that is another story. I have been ZAPPED twice. First time I was a teenager up in Sixty Lakes basin and felt the current of the strike on my back touching the rock, thought I was dead. 2nd time was on Mt Gilbert and had a shot of electrical juice shoot through my hand that was touching the rock wall. Those bolts are cool when they are off in the distance, but when they get close it scares the crap out of me!!!!!
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crankenstein
Trad climber
Louisville, CO
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June of 1988 is was on The Petit Grepon in Rocky Mt. National Park. While approaching the summit after a rain delay on the big ledge below the crux pitch, the sky suddenly turned dark an ominous looking. I hurried to finish the pitch to the summit, but the rumble of storms was growing by the minute. I stopped just short of the summit to belay my second, and the rope suddenly started crackling with static electricity. Within moments the rock around the summit started making a humming sound. I screamed at my second to hurry, knowing that there was nothing we could do but pray for good luck. We summited and began rappeling in a wild wet and windy electrical storm, and were rewarded for our haste by getting the knot stuck upon trying to pull the rope. As the storm raged, I began prussicking up one rope after tying the other one off to the ledge. We did make it down , but at one point we barely found the trail back to the car in the darkness. The whole climb was quite an experience and the fear I felt during the electrical storm on the summit is something I can remember vividly today.
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Stoney Point
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I was taking a day hike with coed in TM up to May Lake. The sky to the north was a wall of Darkness. A blinding flash and sonic boom. A hundred feet away a tree was on fire. 10 minutes later hail storm of marbles.
I have seen two tornados in California.
Juan
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goatboy smellz
climber
nebel horn, co
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If you've ever been to Colorado Springs you might have noticed the freakish weather that Pikes Peak can stir up. Blue skies turn to blacked thunderclaps very quickly.
On a fun day yoyoing routes on the east face of Kindergarten Rock, we felt we deserved a fiesta up on the summit ridge.
Up around the third tier I felt a little tickly sensation all over my body. Once I pulled over the ridge I noticed the Peak blacked out with thunderheads.
Being that the Garden of the (loose) Gods is not known for solid rappels and not wanting to handle any gear we filled our packs and bailed down the western side on foot. Now were surround by rock pinnacles on the back side while the safety of the bus lays on the front side. Then BOOMBOOMBOOM!!! felt like somebody hit every inch of my body at the same time, no pain, were OK, we get up, looking for shelter, we duck into a groove, sit on our packs and ride it out.
Lost a dear friend in '04 hiking on Quandary she was struck, in the woods, under blue skies, a storm was approaching on the western side of the peak. I wasn't there so that's all I can say.
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john hansen
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 7, 2006 - 12:21am PT
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About 1987 ten of us had set up camp in a little meadow up by Bowman lake in No cal. A great evening sitting by the fire ,eating ,drinking and playing music. Next morning about 5:30 we hear the thunder and can see the flashes from inside our tents. We are counting , one one thousand , two one thousand . It was about 3 miles away, but over the next half hour it walked right over us until there was no pause at all between the flash and the boom. It seemed like two or three strikes a minute and as one rumble setteled down,, another flash,and, BOOM . We where in a spot up above the Dam and had quite a few big trees around us but it was still pretty intense.
It passed by and we had a great day climbing ,canoeing , swimming and hiking
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pyro
Social climber
I'm not telling,
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good thank-god your coed is safe. i'll keep mine if you keep yous safe
ample supply!@match!
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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August 1980,
My 20'th birthday,
Mt Conness, Harding Route.
Just past the Oh-Dub up high, traversed right, clipped a bolt when the storm hit.
6" of hail around my heels in 60 seconds and the shite was bursting loud and furious all about the cirque and looting static from our shivering backsides.
Petee Mayfield had loaned us a thin second cord and I knew as we sped to the ground in full length raps that my time was come or no with only the slight twist of eternity's key, then stiffly engaged in the lock and turning clockwise...
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WBraun
climber
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1971 on the Prow. The lightning struck somewhere higher up on this wall and traveled down the water on the face and blew me off the ledge. The anchor bolt blew out of the hole, the back up pins held. My right hand was black. I put the same 1/4 inch rawl bolt back in the original hole and retreated to the ground and ran.
Returned the next day when dry to the climb.
I was lucky ....... very lucky.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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I had an experience much like Werner's, in 1982 on Bugaboo Spire. Following a vertical crack, storm came on, sat on a ledge on our packs and ropes for a while away from the crack. When the storm subsided, we rappelled. About three rappels down, and committed, the storm returned. I was part way down a rappel when there was a strike above, which passed through me on its way down. Presumably somewhat dissipated by the time it got to me, but it knocked me out, so my partner below had to catch me.
We took 16 rappels to get down, and were taking the ropes out of nuts and tying them together to make slings.
I've had several other close calls, including the Adamants (1972), Bugaboo-Snowpatch col (1991 - a whole night of simulataneous flash/bangs), and Wolf's Head in the Wind Rivers (2004).
Anders
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briand
Trad climber
bay area
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Have had a few close calls over the years.
In the early 90's, I was on Crest Jewel and the day had been going ok with clouds hanging out in the backcountry. No lighting or rain to speak of. Then within a half hour the clouds really started building and before we knew it lighting started hitting around Liberty Cap and Clouds Rest. HOLY SH#T, did we ever start climbing fast. Luckily we were only 2 pitches from the top. By the last pitch, we were climbing in the rain and our hair on our arms and head were standing on end. Lighting kept going off behind us but we were simul-climbing so fast we never turned around to see it. Hit the top and ran!!
Another close call years later in the Tetons comming off a route on a ridge below the Grand(name?). Lighting, hail and rock fall as we rapped down a gully. Very fun.
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climbrunride
Trad climber
Durango, CO
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In June '93, I was on my first long solo on the South Face of Washington Column. The storm came in while I was cleaning the 4th pitch. I hid under a little roof and waved to the three parties above me as they rapelled past. Eventually I was getting wet, but I was too stubborn to retreat, so I set up my ledge and took a nap. My friends on the vally floor said I almost got hit several times and it was both scary and impressive. But my ignorance was bliss - when the rain stopped, I climbed on.
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climbrunride
Trad climber
Durango, CO
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Then there was the "reality check" story. We were on the Regular Route on Fairview Dome, four or five pitches up when the storm came. Too much traversing to retreat into the river which drained that whole section of the wall. Too much lightning to feel safe climbing up. So we stood on a little ledge to wait it out. I felt really stupid for teasing my partner all morning about bringing his giant Patagucci GoreTex coat, when I was only bring a thin, worthless windbreaker.
The lightning got really close, but never lit us up. Eventually it all stopped and we topped out and walked off. Back at the car we cracked some beers and sat there talking about it. Just then, Peter Croft pulled up, said hi, and jogged off into the woods. About 20 minutes later, he came back and said he just soloed the Regular Route. (It was still wet, even.) He was going to a BBQ and didn't have time for anything more.
So much for our epic. Thanks for the reality check, Peter.
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Stoney Point
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Werner, it all makes sense to me now.
You have second sight.
Juan
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blackbird
Trad climber
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Not climbing related, but I did lose hearing in my right ear due to a close call with the stuff...
Camp counselor. We had 20 kids on a campout a couple of miles down the mountain from camp on a beautiful rhododendron packed creek bank. Weather blew in, and before the hail and light show set in we all make a questionable executive decision to get the kids back to the main camp. As we're hiking up hill the bottom falls out and the light show begins in full force. I'm sweeping, one kiddo is lagging pretty far; as I'm waiting on them, lightning hits about 25/30 feet away on my right. I've been leary since then of getting caught out in storms...
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SamRoberts
climber
Bay Area
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1979 or 80 at Tahquitz. We were climbing a route on the north side and about half way up it starts to drizzle with thunder and lightning off in the distance. We top off and it's raining harder now, but no lightning near us. That's the last thing I remember. I was sitting near a tree coiling the rope when a bolt hit the tree (so I was told). My partner was knocked off his feet and landed a couple of feet from the edge of the face. When he came over to me, I was laid out and didn't have a pulse! He gave me CPR and brought me back, literally. When I finally fully came to, it was pouring rain and I felt like I had sprained every muscle in my body. My legs couldn't support my weight so I had to crawl most of the way out, except for the short rap down the chimney which was now a waterfall. The long talus slope was especially epic. Got to the car around 1 am, went to the hospital and got cleared to go home, but my legs didn't work right for months.
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Vadim
Trad climber
NEW YORK, NY
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Mighty Hiker's outdoes our experience on Bugaboo Spire in 1986.
Gunkies in the Mts. we just wern't moving fast enough, and were appreciating the rainbows after completing the climb. Then the dark clouds mved in bringing rain, hail and eventually lightning, which we both experienced six times in the course of half an hour.
We knew we were struck because we screamed, and saw blue light everywhere. Eventually we hunkered down in our wet clothes on the side of the Spire and waited out the night.
Electro-shock therapy really works guys.
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Banzai
Trad climber
Montreal
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Few years ago, we were climbing this route called "L'Eclair" - i.e. The Lightning. Of all possible names there couldn't have been a better choice! As my partner is leading, we hear thunder in the distance. We discuss the possibility of bailing but he decides to keep going - it's a single pitch and he's almost there. Then a lightning hits right above him at the top of the cliff. I instinctively duck - somehow I'm sure we're gonna get nailed by some serious rock fall - but luckily none of the many overhanging blocks fall off. However, my partner is freaking out, he felt the electricity go through is body - but otherwise he's allright. He quickly sets up a rappel and we get the hell out of there.
François
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