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ACCIDENT REPORT FOR THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB
North Sister fall injures climber, helicopter rescue needed

The primary purpose of these experience reports and the Annual Report of Accidents in North American Mountaineering is to aid in the prevention of accidents.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office received a call on a Tuesday afternoon from the wife of a climber whose companion, 46-year-old Linh Pham, had fallen during a climb of the east side of snow-covered North Sister.

The two men had entered the Three Sisters Wilderness from the Pole Creek Trail Head near Sisters, Oregon, camped and then attempted a late season direct climb up the Villard Glacier to the summit. According to an interview of Pham by reporter Dylan Darling for The Bulletin newspaper, they set out from their campsite at about 7,600 feet at the foot of the glacier leading to the 10,085 foot summit of North Sister.

According to the interview, Anita Dunsmoor, the wife of climber John Dunsmoor, 54, received a call at about noon saying that they were still climbing and that they would call again when they had started down climbing. At 6:30 pm, he called a second time saying that they had turned around at about 3:00 pm because it was getting late and that Linh had fallen, was injured and they had made it back down across the snow to their campsite.

Climber Pham slid and tumbled about 200 feet down the slope before coming to a stop in the soft snow. According to reports, he suffered a dislocated shoulder and was unable to walk out of the Wilderness. He was assisted by his companion, back to their campsite. Anita Dunsmoor called 911 at about 6:30 pm.

It is not known whether there was cell phone service at the foot of the Villard glacier. Normal practice would require SAR to confirm the actual geographic Coordinants; it is not reported whether SAR was able to talk with the climbers. Note that current FCC statutes require that the cell service Provider confirm the callers location within 30 feet within 10 minutes of a request by a 911 call center/SAR.

Personnel from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team were dispatched to assist in the rescue of Pham. The rescue was further assisted by a total of eight volunteer SAR members along with one USFS Law Enforcement Officer.

An Oregon Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter and a medevac crew hosted the injured man and flew him to St. Charles Hospital in Bend Oregon

Analysis of Accident: What knowledge and techniques will help prevent future accidents?
North Sister is a fifth class summit, regularly approached along the top of the south ridge by a faint climbers way high up along the west side of a gendarme called The Camel’s Hump. The traditional early spring and summer route then winds to the east side of a second gendarme, then traverses across an exposed friable 35 degree slope called the "Terrible Traverse" just under the Prouty Pinnacles to a gully called "The Bowling Alley" that leads to the summit blocks.

Recently, guided snow climb attempts straight up to the summit on the Thayer Glacier have been made on the east side of North Sister.

Seven climbers have died in recent years on North Sister, some from inexperience and a failure to mitigate the high exposure and objective dangers of this old volcano.
Report filed by Robert Speik for the 65th edition of ANAM to be published in 2013
Copyright© 2012 by Robert Speik. All Rights Reserved

Climber injured in fall on North Sister, helicopter rescue required

Injured climber rescued after a fall on North Sister
FOX 12, Oregon
By KPTV Staff
July 25, 2012

An Oregon Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter and a medevac crew rescued a climber who had fallen nearly 200 feet near Villard Glacier Tuesday night.

The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office said they received a call Tuesday afternoon from the wife of a climber whose companion, 46-year-old Linh Pham, had fallen during a climb.

Personnel from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team were dispatched to assist in the rescue of Pham. The rescue was further assisted by a total of eight volunteer SAR members along with one USFS Law Enforcement Officer.

One SAR team of three members was deployed to the area to begin a search of the climber's location beginning at the Pole Creek Trail Head west of Sisters. A second SAR team of three was staged at the trail head.

Based on the pending darkness and the difficulty in extracting an injured climber from that location, the Oregon Army National Guard was also contacted to assist.

An Oregon Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter arrived at the location at about 11:30 p.m. Pham was successfully hoisted from the location and transported to St Charles Hospital in Bend, where he received treatment for his injuries.

Pham's climbing companion, 54-year-old John Dunsmoor, remained at the scene and advised rescue personnel that he would remain at the camp until the Wednesday morning, at which time an SAR team would assist him in packing out the extra gear left behind.
Copyright 2012 KPTV. All rights reserved.

http://www.kptv.com/story/19110977/injured-climber-rescued-after-a-fall-on-north-sister