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Smith Rock Climber Survives 40-Foot Fall, Rescued by SAR
Smith Rock Climber Survives 40-Foot Fall
KTVZ.COM News Sources
October 2, 2010
TERREBONNE, Ore. -- A Pennsylvania climber survived a 40-foot fall at Smith Rock
State Park Saturday when his anchor points holding a safety line broke,
apparently causing the line to snap as well, rescuers said.
Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies and Sheriff’s Search and Rescue crews were
dispatched around 2:30 p.m. on a report of the fallen climber in the North Gorge
area, said Deputy Rhett Hemphill, SAR operations manager.
Redmond Fire rescue-medic personnel also responded to the park and rappelled to
the location of Abraham Traven, 24, of Kintnersville, Pa., treating him for his
injuries.
Hemphill said Traven had been climbing the west side of the Gorge climbing area
when he encountered the failure in his safety gear, falling about 40 feet.
Rescuers raised Traven about 80 feet, to the edge of the canyon, and moved him
to a waiting Redmond Fire ambulance, Hemphill said.
Traven was taken to St. Charles Medical Center-Redmond with non-life-threatening
injuries, the deputy said.
A total of 19 Sheriff’s SAR members responded to assist with the call, Hemphill
added.
http://www.ktvz.com/news/25258722/detail.html
Comments posted on www.KTVZ.com
OldTimerOriginal
LUCKY young man! Hope he recovers quickly. Isn't it unusual for more than a
single anchor point to fail?
Robert Speik
Hello OldTimerOriginal-
Traditions and technical training combined with extraordinary gear make it very
unusual for the following quote from the official news Release: "his anchor
points holding a safety line broke, apparently causing the line to snap as well,
rescuers said."
It seems more likely that the Official Report is inaccurate. Perhaps we can
find out more to perhaps save a life.
--Robert Speik
OldTimerOriginal in reply to Robert_Speik
Thank you! Just didn't make sense. I'm no climber, but I do know enough to know
that most if not all use more than one safety point. Except them crazy free
climbers.....which I DID do, once. Too SCARY!
Barney Lerten in reply to Robert_Speik
Actually that was NOT in the news release but from Rhett Hemphill when I asked
for more specifics, prefaced by the words "I believe..." so... there's the
proper context.
http://www.ktvz.com/news/25258722/detail.html THE MISSION of TraditionalMountaineering.org
"To provide information and instruction about
world-wide basic to advanced alpine mountain climbing safety skills and gear, on
and off trail hiking, scrambling and light and fast Leave No Trace backpacking
techniques based on the foundation of an appreciation for the Stewardship of the
Land, all illustrated through photographs and accounts of actual shared
mountaineering adventures." TraditionalMountaineering is founded on the
premise that "He who knows naught, knows not that he knows naught",
that exploring the hills and summitting peaks have dangers that are hidden to
the un-informed and that these inherent risks can be in part, identified and mitigated by mentoring:
information, training, wonderful gear, and knowledge gained through the
experiences of others. The value of TraditionalMountaineering to our Friends and Subscribers is the
selectivity of the information we provide, and its relevance to introducing
folks to informed hiking on the trail, exploring off the trail, mountain travel and
Leave-no-Trace light-weight bivy and backpacking, technical travel over steep
snow, rock and ice, technical glacier travel and a little technical rock
climbing on the way to the summit. Whatever your capabilities and interests,
there is a place for everyone in traditional alpine mountaineering.
Mountain climbing has inherent dangers that can, only in part, be mitigated
Read more . . .
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