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currupt4130
Jun 23, 2010, 4:58 AM
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Climbed this route a couple weeks ago...
There isn't too much released yet but I figured I'd go ahead and throw it out after seeing the article.
http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_15345623
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Gabel
Jun 23, 2010, 9:08 AM
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currupt4130 wrote: Climbed this route a couple weeks ago... There isn't too much released yet but I figured I'd go ahead and throw it out after seeing the article. http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_15345623
K.
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rangerrob
Jun 23, 2010, 2:18 PM
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The comments on that story are absolutely sickening. Less than 24 hours after the accident and people are stating misinformation and calling the climber an idiot. There is no hope for this society.
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welle
Jun 23, 2010, 2:33 PM
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An updated article speculates about the rope being cut over a sharp rock edge: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_15345623
Very sad!
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lena_chita
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Jun 23, 2010, 3:31 PM
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The climber sounds like a nice guy I would have liked to know... but never will, now. May he rest in peace.
The rope being cut by rock in a fall -- that's the second accident of this kind that i have heard of in a year (Seneca being the other one). I would have never thought of it as a common scenario. I hope there would be more detail later, from climbers, about gear placement and rope management.
And wow, three serious climbing accidents in Eldorado Canyon in one week are "somewhat unusual but not unheard of"? Really?
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wonderwoman
Jun 23, 2010, 3:36 PM
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lena_chita wrote: The rope being cut by rock in a fall -- that's the second accident of this kind that i have heard of in a year (Seneca being the other one).
That's exactly what popped into my mind. I'd be curious to also know if it was the same brand of rope, and more details on the accident in general.
My sympathy to his family and friends. He did sound like a great guy.
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theguy
Jun 23, 2010, 4:32 PM
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rangerrob wrote: Less than 24 hours after the accident and people are stating misinformation and calling the climber an idiot.
So what you're saying is it's rc.com with a faster response time ;)
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moose_droppings
Jun 23, 2010, 4:40 PM
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Bad news.
While a rope getting cut isn't unheard of, it is somewhat rare.
Condolences to his family and close friends.
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captainstatic
Jun 23, 2010, 5:43 PM
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Sorry to hear of this tragedy and condolences to his familyDaily Camera wrote: While a rope getting cut isn't unheard of, it is somewhat rare.
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socalclimber
Jun 23, 2010, 6:46 PM
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captainstatic wrote: Sorry to hear of this tragedy and condolences to his family Daily Camera wrote: While a rope getting cut isn't unheard of, it is somewhat rare. The RMR person cited for this statement is one of my climbing partners. With RMR being involved I am assuming that a detailed analysis of the accident will be issued.
I'm sure there will be. Those guys are dialed. They know what they are doing.
Sorry to hear this.
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billcoe_
Jun 25, 2010, 4:32 AM
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wonderwoman wrote: I'd be curious to also know if it was the same brand of rope, and more details on the accident in general.
Petzl Fuse, like the ones that were falling apart, popped into my mind as soon as I read that. Of course I have no idea what rope they were, but I'd like to know the rope brands.
It would be interesting if they were the same.
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xbrianx1990
Aug 12, 2010, 1:06 AM
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The climbers wife posted on another site that on pitch 2 after he had 5 pieces in he fell, once piece popped and then the rope was severed. The cut was not 3 feet from his harness as previously reported but she was unsure exactly where it was cut.
From everything I've read about Joseph Miller, he seemed to be a great guy and an experienced climber.
My thoughts and condolences to his family.
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robdotcalm
Mar 8, 2011, 9:26 PM
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A very careful analysis of the accident has been posted by the Rocky Mt. Rescue Group
http://www.rockymountainrescue.org/...wSpurRopeFailure.php
which includes a detailed description in a pdf link of their effort in reconstructing the accident.
The rope cut after the top piece (#.5 Camalot) failed and the climber pendulumed most likely causing the rope to run along a sharp edge. They did not discuss a possible reason for the Camalot failure, but from the included pictures it would appear to have been subjected to a larger force than would be expected from the amount of rope going from the belayer to the climber. From the description of the accident it appears that the rope might have been pinched off against the rock by a carabiner and so increased the fall factor.
Thanks are due to the RMRG for their effort in collecting so much data and insightfully analysing the accident.
rob.calm
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bearbreeder
Mar 10, 2011, 9:04 AM
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that is some very fine research
i wonder if slinging that second piece extra long over the edge would have helped .... even if the sling got cut, the rope would likely have survived and the fall be on the initial piece ...
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notapplicable
Mar 20, 2011, 5:06 PM
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That is a great analysis with interesting cut tests on tensioned ropes. The quote below is from the "Safety Lessons For Climbers" summation at the end of the article and bears repeating, I think.
In reply to: Clearly, any ledge with a sharp edge that a leader might fall past represents an extremely high risk factor. However, the rope failure tests done during this investigation suggest two additional factors to consider during such ledge transitions. First, lead climbers should attempt to visualize the geometry of a potential fall past a ledge, and consider whether a potential pendulum effect may result in a tensioned rope moving laterally across the edge. Second, climbers should consider how that geometry could differ given the failure of any piece(s) of protection along the route, possibly leading to the rope coming in contact with nearby sharp edges that may not be directly in line with the initial fall. In some cases, hazardous situations might best be managed by altering the route in order to avoid the area or even by backing off the route.
It can be tempting to just place a piece, throw a sling on it and keep climbing without any real thought as to how the science experiment you are building is going to come alive in the event of a fall. I try to constantly remind myself not to just plug and go. Gotta plan ahead and think about the "what if's".
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