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Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 2:28 am
by mrchad9
G wrote:so to recap the things that should not have been done, could have been done differently, and should have been done...

climber...

- should not have been climbing along the fall line
- could have anchored himself (?) where he is protected from falling objects
- should have not used his hand to try and block off the falling ice, and instead duck or do a matrix stunt (although the former would have addressed this)
- should have been quicker to self-arrest, so the slip does not become a fall
- should not have let go of his axes (or at least one of them)
- should have kept his feet higher to prevent cartwheeling

He should not have worn a GoPro.

How'd you miss that one!

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:47 am
by Vitaliy M.
fatdad wrote:The first thing i thought when I saw this video is that tools have gotten so good that mediocre climbers are doing stuff ropeless that they would not have had the skill or esperience to climb with more primitive tools. Leashes aren't going to help you if you don't hang onto to yout tools. Your tools won't help if you don't know how to self arrest with them.


No need to blame new generation of geared up climbers for this dude's fail. He has straight shafted tools (as obvious from the video). His mistake was trying to block a chunk of ice from hitting his precious gopro :lol: Can't say if he is a noob or not because I have not met him, but all the evidence points in that direction. Especially trying to block that ice chunk with his hand, and not self arresting (if he can check up on his helmet cam after such a long slide, it probably was not that steep) etc.

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:55 am
by mrchad9
I've been on a couple slides when skiing. Nothing that serious... But still when I came to a stop my first thought was to make sure I wasn't cut open somewhere, not check if my camera worked!

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:20 am
by WillP
I love this, what do you guys call it, Monday morning quarterbacking? How do you know he was checking his go-pro (which I agree is a stupid ego-driven gimic, but that's not the point) and not touching his head to see if A) his helmet was damaged, B) he had blood coming from his head? That's often the first thing I've done after a mtnbike crash (sans go-pro). There's learning from the mistakes of others, and there's unjustified speculation and criticism and "I'd never do that 'cause I'm way too experienced". The reason he fell was because the ice knocked him off balance, because it hit him, because he tried to swat it away. The lesson - if ice is coming at you, hunker down. And, in case no one else has said it (I don't think they have) - buddy, if you're reading this, I sure hope you're okay, and if not, that you heal up fast.

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:31 am
by Princess Buttercup
The Chief wrote:This dude is a total Noob. Plain old noob that needs to stay home.

It is stupidity such as this that gives "climbing" in general a totally bad rap.



Yup. Cuz no one with any sort of "acceptable level of experience" would ever make a decision that would lead to a fall or demise.

The guys is damn lucky. As have we all been at least once.

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 4:37 am
by Ben Beckerich
The Chief wrote:
I seriously do not hope you are talking to me


You're a fucking pussy, and you don't know shit.

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 5:19 am
by Josh Lewis
JC, reminds me of one of my favorite mottoes "If your going to go down, go down in flames". :D Not that I want to go down, but if I am, I sure better go down hard!

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 6:14 am
by Vitaliy M.
Ben Beckerich wrote:
The Chief wrote:
I seriously do not hope you are talking to me


You're a fucking pussy, and you don't know shit.


Oh shit! Steve House joined the thread! Please tell us how it is done sir! :lol: Are you so worked up because you also "solo" with one of those gopro: be a hero things?

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 12:07 am
by Princess Buttercup
The Chief wrote:
MooseTracks wrote:Yup. Cuz no one with any sort of "acceptable level of experience" would ever make a decision that would lead to a fall or demise.

The guys is damn lucky. As have we all been at least once.


Sorry Laura, but social media devices such as a Go-Pro camera are not vital enough for one to protect with their lives and nearly die for. Unless of course one basis their lives on proliferating themselves through that means. Hint.

I truly hope you do not go out every weekend basing your day on luck. Or.... maybe you do. If so, stats are against you. And, you will indeed run out one day when you least expect it. It is called complacency and that will and has killed more experienced climbers and BC skiers than any other factor.

That guy is not lucky.

He is just plain stupid.


Yup, a wing and a prayer every weekend. No planning: just throw stuff in a pack and jump. :lol: :roll:

And I do believe in luck, and karma. But I don't rely on them. Thought you would know that, seeing how as you're obviously stalking me somehow. Since I'm really only putting my pics on FB (storing them on flickr), you must be getting some sort of update. I'd be flattered if I cared.

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 12:37 am
by WyomingSummits
This place is filled with people in dire need of a drink.....or 10.

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 12:45 am
by Josh Lewis
WyomingSummits wrote:This place is filled with people in dire need of a drink.....or 10.


:lol: :lol: Perhaps cabin fever is settling in?

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 2:10 pm
by John Duffield
The Chief wrote:No one would believe the story of how you busted your ass all the way down.


That's exactly why they sell so many GoPros. Pix or it didn't happen.

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 5:35 pm
by 96avs01
The Chief wrote:
**** I looked at one of the original ANAM's yesterday at a local used bookstore. It had a total of 22 pages. 6 of which were an intro. Anyone bother to see how many pages last years edition is.... hmmmmmmmmmmmm.**********


2011 Edition contains 123 pages of which only 9 are intro and postscript beta.

Just saying....


While I tend to agree that these type of incidents seem more prevalent, it would be curious to note how they scale when normalized by the North American population or the number of people participating in such activities. My suspicion is that increases in both account for much of the added incidents (with available media coverage also helping), but really that the incidents as a percentage of population or participants probably hasn't changed that dramatically.

Nevertheless, one's primary concern in the backcountry should be the safety of self and partners. Not the footage for your web blog, facebook page, etc..., or expensive electronic documentation tools. My $0.02

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 5:55 pm
by fatdad
Vitaliy M. wrote:No need to blame new generation of geared up climbers for this dude's fail. He has straight shafted tools (as obvious from the video).

Don't worry Vitaliy, that wasn't really where I was going with that. I was thinking more of his whole set up: newer leashes (and relatively newer tools--though that's hard to quantify since they seems to change every year nowadays), etc. Plus the guy wasn't exactly "new". I think the new reports said he's 47. Hardly part of the new guard.

Re: Alpine climber survives fall - GoPro catches it all

PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 7:12 pm
by Vitaliy M.
fatdad wrote:
Vitaliy M. wrote:No need to blame new generation of geared up climbers for this dude's fail. He has straight shafted tools (as obvious from the video).

Don't worry Vitaliy, that wasn't really where I was going with that. I was thinking more of his whole set up: newer leashes (and relatively newer tools--though that's hard to quantify since they seems to change every year nowadays), etc. Plus the guy wasn't exactly "new". I think the new reports said he's 47. Hardly part of the new guard.


Lot’s of older guys are beginners, and could be part of new 'guard.' :)

In 2011 I sold (through craigslist) an ice axe to a guy in his 40s. He told me he is getting it because he wants to do Shasta. He has done lot’s of camping trips but nothing like Shasta and wants to see if it is for him. I was training for Denali than, and doing lot’s of stuff like that. So I invited him on a climb and showed him a few things. We had a great time and ended up summiting. He was as excited as a kid who got the best present in the universe, it was amazing to see and help someone achieve that. Since than he went up Shasta over 10 times by several routes. Wants to do all the routes on mountains. Actually, we had dinner together a month or so ago when we were on that mountain at the same time (a few friends and I did our first ski descent after dayhiking it). My point is you can always be a beginner.