fatality at Skaha
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Cloudraker
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fatality at Skaha
Awful news - my condolences to friends and family.
Be careful out there everybody.
from Gripped forums:
Climber first to die at bluffs
By SCOTT TRUDEAU
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
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A female climber who fell to her death at Skaha Bluffs was the first fatality there since people began frequenting the rock climbing area in the early 1990s.
Penticton Search and Rescue was called to the bluffs on Saturday about 6 p.m., search manager John Turner said Monday.
The woman, whose name has not yet been released, is believed to be in her mid-20s and from the Lower Mainland. She had come to the Skaha Bluffs with a friend to enjoy a day of climbing.
Turner said woman was repelling in a remote area when she came "off rope" and plunged 23 metres onto a rocky landscape below.
"For whatever reason, her belay didn’t work properly when she was rappelling and she was in a freefall," said Turner.
"We were told one person that was on scene, one of the climbing people, tried to do CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) on her but it was kind of futile," he said. "So when our people got on scene it was confirmed that she had deceased."
B.C. Ambulance and Penticton fire department were at the bluffs parking area when search and rescue personnel arrived. Penticton RCMP was also notified and a helicopter was used to take the coroner to the scene. The woman’s body was removed by helicopter and was taken to the Penticton Regional Hospital.
Local resident Nick Ibuki was in the parking lot following a day of climbing with friends when a young person came running up to them saying that someone had fallen in the Grassy Glades climbing area.
"I grabbed the oxygen and med kits and a neck brace and hoofed it in," said Ibuki who, due to his familiarity with the area, led paramedics to the fall site about four kilometres in.
According to Ibuki, a nurse had tried in vain to revive the woman, performing CPR for about 25 minutes.
"There nothing she could do," he said. "She had too much head trauma."
It is not known if the deceased was wearing a helmet while she was climbing.
Ibuki and his friend, Mark Billups said while cause of the accident is unknown, it’s highly unlikely it would have been caused by equipment failure.
"Equipment is the strongest link for a climber," said Billups, noting she could have been an experienced climber who simply made a mistake.
Both acknowledged that as sad and shocking as the death is, the inherent dangers of climbing come with the territory.
Russ Turner, owner of Skaha Rock Adventures and an outdoor guide for 30 years, said while this was the first time a person had died while scaling the Skaha Bluffs he’s also surprised more fatalities haven’t occurred.
"I just see a lot of novices coming to learn from friends," said Turner adding how incorrect information from inexperienced climbers is passed down the line onto friends and other people.
"It (wrong information) gets passed down until soon it becomes meaningless," he said.
Turner, who was giving a lesson to a trio of beginner climbers from North Vancouver on Monday, said even though it wouldn’t be fair to assess what may have happened without knowing her climbing background, "it may have been a common mistake."
He also doubts equipment failure played a part in the fall, emphasizing that "99.99 per cent (of accidents) is human error," he said. "The gear is all bomb-proof."
The lure of rock climbing, said Turner, stems from it being a "free spirit" type of sport, and often people are not willing to invest the money to learn how to climb properly.
Turner realized the value of learning proper climbing techniques after losing three buddies due to rock climbing accidents several years ago.
"It you do it correctly it’s a safe sport," he said. "You don’t want to take shortcuts."
Cpl. Jayson Lucash of Penticton RCMP said a coroner’s investigation is underway. The woman’s name is being withheld, pending notification of next of kin.
Be careful out there everybody.
from Gripped forums:
Climber first to die at bluffs
By SCOTT TRUDEAU
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Email this article
Send a Letter to the Editor
Printer friendly page
A female climber who fell to her death at Skaha Bluffs was the first fatality there since people began frequenting the rock climbing area in the early 1990s.
Penticton Search and Rescue was called to the bluffs on Saturday about 6 p.m., search manager John Turner said Monday.
The woman, whose name has not yet been released, is believed to be in her mid-20s and from the Lower Mainland. She had come to the Skaha Bluffs with a friend to enjoy a day of climbing.
Turner said woman was repelling in a remote area when she came "off rope" and plunged 23 metres onto a rocky landscape below.
"For whatever reason, her belay didn’t work properly when she was rappelling and she was in a freefall," said Turner.
"We were told one person that was on scene, one of the climbing people, tried to do CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) on her but it was kind of futile," he said. "So when our people got on scene it was confirmed that she had deceased."
B.C. Ambulance and Penticton fire department were at the bluffs parking area when search and rescue personnel arrived. Penticton RCMP was also notified and a helicopter was used to take the coroner to the scene. The woman’s body was removed by helicopter and was taken to the Penticton Regional Hospital.
Local resident Nick Ibuki was in the parking lot following a day of climbing with friends when a young person came running up to them saying that someone had fallen in the Grassy Glades climbing area.
"I grabbed the oxygen and med kits and a neck brace and hoofed it in," said Ibuki who, due to his familiarity with the area, led paramedics to the fall site about four kilometres in.
According to Ibuki, a nurse had tried in vain to revive the woman, performing CPR for about 25 minutes.
"There nothing she could do," he said. "She had too much head trauma."
It is not known if the deceased was wearing a helmet while she was climbing.
Ibuki and his friend, Mark Billups said while cause of the accident is unknown, it’s highly unlikely it would have been caused by equipment failure.
"Equipment is the strongest link for a climber," said Billups, noting she could have been an experienced climber who simply made a mistake.
Both acknowledged that as sad and shocking as the death is, the inherent dangers of climbing come with the territory.
Russ Turner, owner of Skaha Rock Adventures and an outdoor guide for 30 years, said while this was the first time a person had died while scaling the Skaha Bluffs he’s also surprised more fatalities haven’t occurred.
"I just see a lot of novices coming to learn from friends," said Turner adding how incorrect information from inexperienced climbers is passed down the line onto friends and other people.
"It (wrong information) gets passed down until soon it becomes meaningless," he said.
Turner, who was giving a lesson to a trio of beginner climbers from North Vancouver on Monday, said even though it wouldn’t be fair to assess what may have happened without knowing her climbing background, "it may have been a common mistake."
He also doubts equipment failure played a part in the fall, emphasizing that "99.99 per cent (of accidents) is human error," he said. "The gear is all bomb-proof."
The lure of rock climbing, said Turner, stems from it being a "free spirit" type of sport, and often people are not willing to invest the money to learn how to climb properly.
Turner realized the value of learning proper climbing techniques after losing three buddies due to rock climbing accidents several years ago.
"It you do it correctly it’s a safe sport," he said. "You don’t want to take shortcuts."
Cpl. Jayson Lucash of Penticton RCMP said a coroner’s investigation is underway. The woman’s name is being withheld, pending notification of next of kin.
My condolences to her family and friends.
Is it known whether or not she had backed up using a prusik?
"Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end."
Edward Whymper, 'Scrambles amongst the Alps'
Is it known whether or not she had backed up using a prusik?
"Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end."
Edward Whymper, 'Scrambles amongst the Alps'
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LittleRedHen
- I'm New Here
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- Joined: Wed May 31, 2006 4:40 pm
My condolences as well.
Article on the Penticton Herald: http://www.pentictonherald.ca/stories.php?id=52253
To Caroline Cheung's partner: I am really sorry. Having experienced a similar loss last year, I have some sense of what you are going through. I send energy for strength and healing your way. Stay strong. If you wish to talk, pm me and we can get together.
- Winifred
Article on the Penticton Herald: http://www.pentictonherald.ca/stories.php?id=52253
To Caroline Cheung's partner: I am really sorry. Having experienced a similar loss last year, I have some sense of what you are going through. I send energy for strength and healing your way. Stay strong. If you wish to talk, pm me and we can get together.
- Winifred
I haven't seen an accident report, so I'll add some details.
Her climbing partner said one of the bights of rope in her ATC wasn't clipped into the carabiner. No backup, and no helmet, like most of us...
Possibly she didn't try and weight the belay device before commiting to the rappel - but Caroline was light, its possible she leaned back and the friction in the rope was enough to make it seem like she was on rappel until she was over the edge. Not sure a helmet would help in a 23 metre fall, that is a long, hard, way.
Condolences to her husband, and all those those who knew her.
Climb safe, pay attention to small things.
Her climbing partner said one of the bights of rope in her ATC wasn't clipped into the carabiner. No backup, and no helmet, like most of us...
Possibly she didn't try and weight the belay device before commiting to the rappel - but Caroline was light, its possible she leaned back and the friction in the rope was enough to make it seem like she was on rappel until she was over the edge. Not sure a helmet would help in a 23 metre fall, that is a long, hard, way.
Condolences to her husband, and all those those who knew her.
Climb safe, pay attention to small things.
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JaapSuter
- Casual Observer
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- Joined: Thu May 26, 2005 4:03 pm
- Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Ain't that the truth. Walk around the crags of Squamish any sunny day of the year and the amount of sloppy helmet-less rappelling going on is downright mind boggling. I'm surprised accidents don't happen more often.ras wrote:No backup, and no helmet, like most of us...
A helmet might not have made the difference in this case, but a klemheist or prussik backup certainly would have, even if it was only tight around the leg-strap.
I know, some people consciously choose to climb without a helmet and rappel without a backup. They're taking a calculated risk and as long as it's well weighed, I don't see the problem.
But most weekend cragging in Squamish is more a case of: "You don't look cool with a helmet.", "My partners don't use a backup when they rappel.", and: "I don't know how to tie a prussik, so I'll just do without."
I have a tiny prussik cord clipped from my legstrap to a waist-loop and it takes no more than ten seconds to put on a klemheist.
We should all be harder on the people we climb with as well. Don't hesitate to point out that you'd like to see a safer rappel. Maybe you'll get the: "stop preaching like you're my mom" attitude, but this recent fatality serves as a reminder that climbing and sloppiness do not go well together. Offer to show people your preferred rappelling method and create a safer environment. Nobody wants his day of climbing ruined because of an accident.
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