Also, I cannot remember this for certain, but it's possible (due to the traversing nature of the climb prior to the crux) that a direct lower would result in someone missing the ledge and being lowered into space far enough away from the ledge to not be able to reach it. Perhaps someone who has done the route more recently can confirm/deny this.

Give the hysterical girl a prussic loop and slings... and then shout instructions to her on how to use them to ascend? Sweet.

Ok kids. It was me, Eric Weigeshoff, telling the story at the party. I was climbing Modern Times with Rod Schnier. We saw this start to happen while we climbed to the top from the GT. This is the story from the horse's mouth: NOTE! If I had have known what was truly going on, I would have intervened.

I was leading Modern Times to the GT. I was watching a fairly inexperienced team climbing High E. (Call them Team B) Team B's leader had set up a hanging belay about 8 feet under the GT ledge, I don't know why, and was bringing up his two followers from there. At that time, there were two people from another team (Team A) who were on the High E ledge. Leader was already at the top.

I then reached GT, and brought Rod up, who started to lead to top.

I noticed the 2nd of Team A starting to climb way to the right of the actual start to the last pitch of High E, and was struggling. I, of course, heckled. As he just about was to the crux, the third started climbing. I realized that she was tied into the same rope. Naturally, I heckled and took a picture of the imbeciles.

Rod was about on the top by now, when girl from Team A started screaming bloody murder. Can't do it, no holds, etc. Rod tops out, where he apparently encounters leader of Team A, not on top ledge where you would normally belay, but on the grassy top. He is lounging. Rod informs him that his girlfriend is going to be pissed. He says it's his sister. He sets up a z pulley, locks them off, and raps to the large ledge on top to observe.

At this time, I reach top, and heckle the guy, call him an idiot (I'm having a bad day) and Rod and I proceed to rap. Rod raps to the second station, I follow. As we are sitting at the second station, pulling our rope, I see Dan Ling reaching the ledge from Doubleissima. I also notice Team A girl hanging at lip, screaming.

I notice she has a sling on her, and Team B has apparently climbed up to her and built an anchor under the roof. At this point, Rod asks if we should go up to help, and I see her swinging back and forth, being pulled by Team B, who is anchored under the lip. We then hear:

1... 2... 3! The rope snaps, and she factor 2's onto the anchor that Team B built. I turn to Rod and say (Freaked out) "Did she just cut the rope?" Rod says, "She cut the rope!" This is repeated around 20 times by us both.

We rap to the ground, where team A's second proceeds to drop a #1 Camalot and a sling on me, just missing me, with the call, "Heads up, yo".

We leave, not wanting to clean up any mess that may ensue.

This is the actual story. No embellishment.

Eric Weigeshoff

Oh, BTW. This entire incident could have been avoided if the leader of Team A:

LOWERED THEM TO THE LEDGE

Team B thought it was a better idea to cut the rope than to have them lowered.

Also, there was no party of 5. There was the original 3 (Team A) 3 from Team B, Tim (Who owns Bubba) was part of a party of 3 on Directissima who had not reached the ledge, and Dan Ling on Doubleissima, with his partner on the ground.

She was hanging off the second, who was hanging off the leader. The second could communicate with the leader, and asked him to lower them both, had he brains, which, apparently, he didn't.

Wow, I'm kind-of glad I missed that fiasco Saturday.

Just out of curiosity, what - if anything - does "the public" think climbing rangers ought to do if they are notified about a situation like this?

DL

This is the best thing to hit the boards since the 30th or 40th Alien exploded. My one wild voyeur hair is itching, just itching, I tell you.

Gawd, a 5-person party? That alone ought to be illegal.

Just out of curiosity, what - if anything - does "the public" think climbing rangers ought to do if they are notified about a situation like this?

DL

...I explained that I'd let her down 60m but she was gonna have to fall the rest of the way....she still refused to move....so took out my knife and before I knew it she was on top....sure it was a dick move but she had the sandwiches in her pack and i was hunngie.

Finally, I'd like to go on record as sympathizing with the poor b@stard in the middle. He was likely pinned to the wall unable to move up or down while people screamed, shouted and weilded cutlery all around him

Just out of curiosity, what - if anything - does "the public" think climbing rangers ought to do if they are notified about a situation like this?

DL

Also, a few people have joked about Eiger Sanction,

but is it possible that the webbing could have been to reel the girl in from the void? I have done High E at least a half dozen times, and can certainly picture her stuck in the void if she wasn't able to pull "the move"

Finally, I'd like to go on record as sympathizing with the poor b@stard in the middle. He was likely pinned to the wall unable to move up or down while people screamed, shouted and weilded cutlery all around him

1... 2... 3! The rope snaps, and she factor 2's onto the anchor that Team B built.

I'm sure we would all like to know exactly how this scenario played out, but one thing that could not have happened is that the webbing caught a direct fall (she walked away uninjured, apparently).