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Mt. Whitney's East Face Route has objective dangers
Injured Climber Rescued From Mount Whitney
SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS
On Saturday, October 3rd, 2011, two men were climbing the East Buttress route (difficulty 5.7) on Mt. Whitney.
They were on a ledge at 13,500 feet when a large rock fell from above and hit one of the climbers on the helmet and upper back.
The impact pushed him down to the ledge and caused him to experience neck and back pain with numbness and tingling on his entire left side.
The uninjured climber assisted his partner in rappelling down two rope lengths, but his companion’s pain was so intense that he could not continue. A cell phone call was made to the park that came in around 10 p.m.
On Sunday morning, the park’s helicopter flew ranger/medics Deb Brenchley and Rich Browne in to locate the climbers and evaluate the possibility of a short-haul extraction.
The climbers were found at their camp at Iceberg Lake. Due to the cold, they’d continued to descend in the dark and finally arrived at their camp at 5 a.m. The temperature when the rescue team arrived was -16º C (about 3º F).
The injured climber was transported to Southern
Inyo Hospital, where he was diagnosed as having suffered a fractured scapula, broken ribs, and a compression fracture of his c-spine.
Contact Information
Name: Michael Cole, Lodgepole Subdistrict Ranger
http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/headline.cfm?type=Incidents&id=4856
What can traditional mountaineers learn from this accident?
This 5.7 spectacular East Buttress Route is very popular. This adventure climb tops out on the summit of Mt. Whitney, to the amassment of hikers and cheers from peak baggers who have chosen the wonderful Class 4 Mountaineers Route. Two teen brothers topped out to greet their parents who had climbed the Mountaineers Route near our Sierra Club group of eight, up from Iceberg Lake, a full days backpack into the wilderness from the remote Trail Head.
1. Rockfall is clearly an objective hazard on this climb.
2. It is important to continue to note that the
rescue of this badly injured climber by helicopter, was initiated by a cell phone call to 911. Unless you are
obsessed with a desire to use the tools of the past and refuse to wear anything
but wool, oiled cotton and leather, carry your ordinary cell phone and a common
late model Garmin Venture HC GPS.
--Robert Speik
WARNING - *DISCLAIMER!*
Mountain climbing has inherent dangers that can in part, be mitigated
Read more . . .
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