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oudinardin
Jan 18, 2004, 3:05 PM
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Not to sound sick but for me it's 3 as of last week. Most in higher mountain ranges climbing, one skiing with big guns. Never seems like the pain will subside. Anyway, thanks for the venting the last couple of days and I'm sure there's more to come. Doing what we love is easier said than done. Be safe out there. I was reminded earlier that this is a rock climbing site. It's also Alpine, Ice, Mixed, etc. It's all climbing. Just wondering. Peace, Mike.
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oudinardin
Jan 18, 2004, 5:44 PM
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70 of you glance at this and no response. I guess most of you are busy making the transition from middle to junior high school. Live and climb long enough, you'll be back. Edited. Please ignore my dumbass- tough times.
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skiclimb
Jan 18, 2004, 5:45 PM
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One friend....2 other people I had at least climbed with...5 people I had met at one time or another. That's 20 years of climbing...There's probably more that i've met and don't even know about...6 of those are from mountaineering accidents.
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climberchic
Jan 18, 2004, 6:01 PM
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One.
Unbelieveabley graceful climber and just a beautiful person. Decked and wasn't wearing a helmet. I really wish I would have made the time to get to know him more.
Not to dig up your demons, but what happened to your friend last week?
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pornstarr
Jan 18, 2004, 6:07 PM
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One. We never climbed together but became friends on rival Ultimate teams in college.
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oudinardin
Jan 18, 2004, 6:16 PM
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Mt. Borah ski trip we take every other year or so. We all have/had plenty of experience. Conditions we're perfect. The climb was perfect and so were snow layers. My friend and I dropped in first and waited at the bottom. BOOM! Slide. Focking could not put our skins on fast enough to get back up. Pulled Tom out after being under for 45 min. It's like The Super Colour at Big Sky, steep and fast. When he came out of the shoot he turned to slow himself which caused the break. I'm not even going to try to understand death but having climbed etc. for a long time, kind of makes you think. I can't stop though. In fact we're headed back to another familiar area (the beartooths) to ski a new line in his honor once we get our heads together. Tom skiied for TGR and was a badass. It can happen to anyone. On a wall or on a relaxing backcountry trip. Sucks. Sorry to here about your losses. Be safe. Peace. Mike
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climberchic
Jan 18, 2004, 6:26 PM
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So, you were there when it happened??
My god....I can't imagine what you and your friends must be going through right now. I can't possibly think of anything more consoling to say than to offer condolences to you all and your friends family.
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oudinardin
Jan 18, 2004, 6:41 PM
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In reply to: So, you were there when it happened?? My god....I can't imagine what you and your friends must be going through right now. I can't possibly think of anything more consoling to say than to offer condolences to you all and your friends family. |
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alpnclmbr1
Jan 18, 2004, 7:07 PM
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One, up close and personal, one that happened to a partner while I wasn't around. More people that I have met then I care to remember.
Death is not the reason that we do what we do, but it is part of the game as much as we try to deny it.
I have to be able to "love" my partners in order to be able to deal with the risks inherent in what we call fun. It is better to risk the big one and live life to it's fullest, rather than to be afraid of it and die a little every day.
Some things are worth risking dieing for.
Don't die.
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oudinardin
Jan 18, 2004, 7:13 PM
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In reply to: One, up close and personal, one that happened to a partner while I wasn't around. More people that I have met then I care to remember. Death is not the reason that we do what we do, but it is part of the game as much as we try to deny it. I have to be able to "love" my partners in order to be able to deal with the risks inherent in what we call fun. It is better to risk the big one and live life to it's fullest, rather than to be afraid of it and die a little every day. Some things are worth risking dieing for. Don't die.
Agree with you 100%. It's that love that you speak of that eats away at you after events like these. Be safe.
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cracklover
Jan 18, 2004, 8:02 PM
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One. And let me add that if there's anyone up there listening, one was quite enough to get the point across.
Good luck, man. And sorry.
GO
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lemmon_squeezer
Jan 18, 2004, 9:02 PM
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After listening to you guys speak of losses I can look back and be thankful that I have not lost anyone in 7 years of climbing. I can't even begin to imagine the pain involved with such a loss and can only hope to offer my sincerest condolences to all who have lost doing what they love.
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joe
Jan 18, 2004, 9:20 PM
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hug your friends and tell them you love them while they're still around.
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b_fost
Jan 18, 2004, 9:32 PM
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In reply to: 70 of you glance at this and no response. I guess most of you are busy making the transition from middle to junior high school. Live and climb long enough, you'll be back.
not to be a jerk myself, but that seems like a pretty mean thing to say. maybe they don't want to talk about it, or they just have nothing to say.
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oudinardin
Jan 18, 2004, 9:45 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: 70 of you glance at this and no response. I guess most of you are busy making the transition from middle to junior high school. Live and climb long enough, you'll be back. not to be a jerk myself, but that seems like a pretty mean thing to say. maybe they don't want to talk about it, or they just have nothing to say.
Agreed. And like I said later I have been kind of, well I have been an ass lately to "new climbers" and I am sorry. Need to remember to take my guide hat off when I'm cyberclimbing. I guess in part I'm bitter but I'm not going to sit on the sidelines, so I'll get over it. I'm in kind of a weird haze now. And I can't talk to my girlfriend about this or John, who was there, without asking WHY! over and over. And I sure as hell can't talk to Tom, a friend of 6 years. I WILLL do better. A couple of days to ski at Big Sky should help. Thank you all for sharing your loss and again I'm sorry for my Brodie-like remarks. Just need to get it together and get the hell out of this office. Peace, be safe. Mike
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b_fost
Jan 18, 2004, 10:34 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: In reply to: 70 of you glance at this and no response. I guess most of you are busy making the transition from middle to junior high school. Live and climb long enough, you'll be back. not to be a jerk myself, but that seems like a pretty mean thing to say. maybe they don't want to talk about it, or they just have nothing to say. Agreed. And like I said later I have been kind of, well I have been an ass lately to "new climbers" and I am sorry. Need to remember to take my guide hat off when I'm cyberclimbing. I guess in part I'm bitter but I'm not going to sit on the sidelines, so I'll get over it. I'm in kind of a weird haze now. And I can't talk to my girlfriend about this or John, who was there, without asking WHY! over and over. And I sure as hell can't talk to Tom, a friend of 6 years. I WILLL do better. A couple of days to ski at Big Sky should help. Thank you all for sharing your loss and again I'm sorry for my Brodie-like remarks. Just need to get it together and get the hell out of this office. Peace, be safe. Mike
eh....maybe insensitive is a better word for me to use than mean. i am really sorry about your loss, and i hope that some time skiiing will do some good. hope you have fun. take it easy man.
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iltripp
Jan 18, 2004, 11:27 PM
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In reply to: 70 of you glance at this and no response. I guess most of you are busy making the transition from middle to junior high school. Live and climb long enough, you'll be back. Edited. Please ignore my dumbass- tough times.
Not trying to be an ass, but middle school is the same as junior high, not that it really matters.
That being said, I'm extremely sorry for your loss(es). It's a tough game we play in the mountains, and it's never without its sacrifices. Condolences. I hope the pain fades, the lessons stay learned, and you get back on your feet (skis, ropes, etc) as soon as possible.
I learned firsthand about losing a partner about 4 years ago, although he didn't pass away climbing. Back in that transition from middle school to high school you mentioned, I first started to climb with a friend of mine. We both became hooked very rapidly and were great friends and climbing partners. We lost touch for quite a while and a few years ago I found out that he had died in a snowmobile accident. Thankfully, he's been the only one.
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phaedrus
Jan 19, 2004, 1:34 AM
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I've been extraordinarily fortunate in that, to the best of my knowledge, I've lost no one to climbing... yet. It's something that I dread and it's also something I know is pretty much just a matter of time. Much like owning a motorcyle- not a matter of if you ditch it, but when.
I spend a great deal of time talking about this with the kids on my climbing team; and tell them that I have no desire to bury any of them.
Losing people to climbing is a risk we all take when we begin the sport, really, no matter how safe someone is. Tragic, sad, and never, ever good, but something that we know will happen.
Mike, my condolences for your loss. Best to you.
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tanslacks
Jan 19, 2004, 4:31 AM
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I am still climbing and after 25 years I am afaraid the count is too high. The question really set me back. I can't believe I have never asked myself this question before. I have lost two very good friends in the mountains. I was not with either and did not get to help if I could have. Two not so close friends, One in Yosemite and one in Eldorado Cyn. I saw them both after their falls. One Sherpa who died in our tent from pulmonary edema. That was in India. All of their faces are still clear to me and so are the good times we had. Climbing has been such a huge part of my life that I can't imagine giving it up for a fear of dying. Thank you for causing me to remember some friends that I have not thought of for so long.
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frantik
Jan 19, 2004, 5:20 AM
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None and I hope I never do.
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roughster
Jan 19, 2004, 5:22 AM
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roughster moved this thread from General to Injuries & Accidents.
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skiclimb
Jan 20, 2004, 8:56 AM
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Where it died too. :(
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glencoe
Jan 20, 2004, 9:08 PM
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I quit counting each one some time ago...but if you include backcountry skiing, I have know 25 or 30 who died.
The first person I remember was Jim Adair, a prominent climber from Ragged Mountain, Conn.. I met him in 1976....and he tied a few years after that....soloing the base of Sentinal in the valley.
The most recent was Alex Lowe....met him in the Tetons in the 70's..and he died a few years ago in the Himalaya.
People do indeed die because of "bad luck." But most die due to foreseeable acts...and this is the sad part.
I think this accident board provides a valuable service so everyone can benefit from the mistakes of others.
George Allen
author of "Ultrasafe, A Guide to Safer Rockclimbing."
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robmcc
Jan 20, 2004, 9:22 PM
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None. No deaths, no serious injuries.
I am truly sorry for your loss. It's terrible to lose a friend. It must be all the moreso to lose one with whom you share a passion as compelling as climbing.
I'd like to think I've compiled a clean record by being safe, but somewhere I know it's probably thus far just a successful roll of the dice. I've always been protective of people I climb with because I know I never want to feel what you're feeling. I'd much rather take whatever risks need to be taken then watch someone I care about do it.
Rob
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brutusofwyde
Jan 20, 2004, 10:32 PM
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Three:
Leader fall, pulled pro, no helmet.
Fixed rope broke while assisting a team-mate sick from altitude.
Unexpectedly severe storm on summit day.
The third and most recent fatality, we helped search for him for over a month, and finally found him after the snow had melted enough to reveal his location.
All were experienced top-notch climbers, whose lives ended, (far too soon) doing what they loved.
And I miss them all.
Brutus of Wyde
Old Climbers' Home
Oakland, California
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