Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 16 of total 16 in this topic |
steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
|
|
Published October 08, 2007 01:45 am - Dennis Luther, of Morrisonville, died Sunday, in a rock climbing accident.
Technical rock climber dies in fall from Poke-O-Moonshine
Experienced rock climber plummets 200 feet
By KIM SMITH DEDAM
Staff Writer
CHESTERFIELD -- A tragic fall claimed the life of an experienced technical rock climber on Sunday.
Dennis Luther, of Morrisonville, fell about 200-feet from an advanced rock-climbing route up Poke-O-Moonshine at about 2:30 p.m.
State police have not released a final report on the accident.
Emergency medical crews from Elizabethtown-Lewis and Keeseville Ambulance Squad responded within minutes of the call for help placed by a climbing companion.
Luther was pronounced dead at the scene by Essex County Coroner Walter Marvin, Jr.
Poke-O-Moonshine is a national caliber rock-climbing area, known for clean geometric lines and steep pitch, which makes it popular with advanced technical climbers.
Difficulties here are measured at varying degrees of class 5 vertical on a scale of 1 to 5.
Adirondack rock-climbing guide Don Mellor, of Lake Placid, who climbed with Luther for over 20 years was deeply saddened to learn of the accident Sunday, which he called a "gigantic" loss to the close-knit, technical climbing community.
"He's a good guy, a good friend of all of ours," Mellor said. "It's a gigantic loss to all of us in the local community, which is really tight."
Luther earned great respect as a rock climber and was "very, very beloved by all his friends."
There are nearly 150 established "trad" or traditional rock climbing routes up the cliffs of Poke-O-Moonshine reaching 450-feet at the highest point.
The craggy mountain face sits only a few miles inside the blue line on high ground like a gate to the central Adirondack region.
Travelers heading north just past Exit 32 on I-87 often spot climbers' bright helmets against the dark gray cliffs.
It is not unusual on a sunny weekend day to see 15 or more groups working their way up the rock fractures, a number dozens shy of popular cliffs in the Rocky Mountains out west.
"It's accessible, it's high and it has clean crack lines and corners," Mellor said of the mountain face in a phone interview Sunday.
|
|
maldaly
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
|
|
Man, this is so sad. My thoughts and prayers...
Be careful out there.
Mal
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
My thoughts are with the Northeast climbing community over this tragedy.
Be careful out there you all.
|
|
Crimpergirl
Social climber
St. Looney
|
|
How sad. My thoughts are with his family and friends.
|
|
spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
|
|
Very sad. I just remembered someone posted a TR about the Poke o Moonshine area.
|
|
darod
Big Wall climber
South Side Billburg
|
|
Very tragic indeed. I read in some of the news wires that he fell while rappelling.
Our thoughts are with his famliy and friends.
|
|
mack
Trad climber
vermont
|
|
I just spoke to Mark and heard the news...so tragic. I met Dennis a few times. Very friendly, funny guy. I feel sick.
|
|
paganmonkeyboy
Trad climber
the blighted lands of hatu
|
|
Very sad news - my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends.
-Tom
|
|
Aya K
Trad climber
New York
|
|
Please be careful, guys.
He's going to be very, very missed.
|
|
kevsteele
climber
Santa Barbara, CA
|
|
Damn, that's where I cut my teeth learning how to lead...and climb ice. Condolences to those who were touched by him.
-Kev
|
|
GhoulweJ
Trad climber
Sacramento, CA
|
|
Thoughts to the family.
Sad
|
|
divad
Trad climber
wmass
|
|
Best thoughts to his family, friends, and partners.
|
|
beelake
Sport climber
Amherst, MA
|
|
wow, just heard about this. sunday was a toss up between pok-o and the spiders web. we went to the web sunday. i can't believe this happened. im gutted right now
my condolences.
|
|
| Messages 1 - 16 of total 16 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!