BCC Ice

bsmoot wrote:Some of the news reports said: "they were difficult to get to" It looked like they (the climbers) were at the base of the bulge. It also said that they were "experienced climbers". The news also said that it took "4 hours to get to the climbers." Hmmm...

I liked the video's comment about a Special ice climbing rescue team. Even my girlfriend who doesn't climb got in on the action, commenting that it sounds like it was a "Special" ice climbing rescue team.

Anyway, I wondered how long it would be before someone from the SAR group posted here.

I don't have a problem with SAR per se, but I sure know that if I was in trouble and had cell service I'd be better off calling my friends to come get my ass. Hell, with internet available on my cell phone I could probably post on mountainproject from the base of the bulge and bsmoot and some others would come get me. Now that would be quite a story....

I won't comment on how long I think it would take me to get to the base of the bulge (even with a full pack of rescue gear), since that might just reignite the discussion from utahclimbers about speed records on GWI. But suffice it to say....4 hours (or even 1/4 of that) is far too long.

Agreed though.....who sits and has lunch while waiting around for hours? Fuck that, I've got shit to do.

whatever wrote:wow, why is everyone so angry. don't believe everything you hear in the news. no it didn't take 4 or 5 hours to get to him. it did take 5 hours before the VOLUNTEERS had all their gear back in order for the next call though. A lot of it is their personal gear by the way. the climber was very thankful for their help. if you don't want to use SAR dont, but some people are thankful that no matter what their skills they will drop everything (family, work, etc.) to go help. if you would like to see it improve feel free to join rather than chat on mountain project. they both pay the same.

Whatever:

Thanks for sharing your side of the story, and for helping out. I don't think anyone is "angry". You do need to know that many climbers who post on these threads are old school, or at least believe in being self sufficient...doing as much as possible to get yourself out of trouble under your own power. This is an unwritten rule among many of us. Before cell phones, climbers made a conscious effort to make sure they were more prepared. If you weren't you suffered the consequences.

In recent years there seems to be a dumbing down on the side of both climbers and rescue teams. I understand if called, you gotta go, but this enabling is empowering more and more less experienced climbers to get in over their heads.

A long time ago Earl Wiggins, a well known climber from Colorado took a ground fall on the last pitch of Stairway to Heaven, breaking I think, both of his legs. His Partner, Mugs Stump helped him rap & descend all of the way down to the car. I've heard of many other proud self rescues, including a fellow climber that I was with once in a remote area.

So if I break my ankle, on the GWI, I'll be limping down under my own power. If I break my back, and can't move...I'll be asking for help!

To reiterate what bsmoot said.....I'm not really angry at SAR. It's easy to take pot shots at you guys, but really it's the fellow who asks for a rescue that is to blame (and who gets my ire). I mean....a lunch on GWI? Maybe if he wasn't hauling a pack full of food he wouldn't have fallen?

I sure hope his phone had VCast TV, so he could catch some daytime soap operas while he waited patiently.

I'm no Earl Wiggins or Mugs Stump, but I fucked up my ankle above Emerald Lake last summer and managed to walk the 7 or so miles out by myself. It hurt, but come on....

Wow, I definitely will won't be runnin er out without my blackberry ever again. It is tough to text when you have the screamin barfies though.

for the record i am not on SAR or anyone who needed rescue. agreed climbers need to be more self sufficient. i think that is the lesson from this. but to bag on SAR would be like going to the homeless shelter and bitching about the free food. its a group of volunteers who do the best they can and its FREE. how many of you carry around everything (medical, rope rescue, water rescue, snow/ice) in your own car ready to bust ass up the canyons to help some knuckle head out. so i guess we should start bitching about the crappy food @ the homeless shelter too. nobody said you have to eat it and nobody said you have to call SAR. if you don't like the food cook it yourself. if you don't like SAR join them and help them out. my two cents.

whatever wrote:for the record i am not on SAR or anyone who needed rescue. agreed climbers need to be more self sufficient. i think that is the lesson from this. but to bag on SAR would be like going to the homeless shelter and bitching about the free food. its a group of volunteers who do the best they can and its FREE. how many of you carry around everything (medical, rope rescue, water rescue, snow/ice) in your own car ready to bust ass up the canyons to help some knuckle head out. so i guess we should start bitching about the crappy food @ the homeless shelter too. nobody said you have to eat it and nobody said you have to call SAR. if you don't like the food cook it yourself. if you don't like SAR join them and help them out. my two cents.

I had my own epic last night/today.
My girlfriend and I were wresting on my bed and I tossed her onto the ice tool Garrett was letting her borrow to go climbing with me today. We spent today in the ER for a minor puncture wound on the top of her foot. I was TOTALLY unprepared as I did not have a lunch with me and was hungry as fuck by the time I got home. Total ER time = 2.5 hours.
I'm eating a turkey sandwich with a cup of pudding and some coffee. But since it's so late in the day, I don't think I'm going to really get too full until dinner.

whatever wrote:but to bag on SAR would be like going to the homeless shelter and bitching about the free food. its a group of volunteers who do the best they can and its FREE. how many of you carry around everything (medical, rope rescue, water rescue, snow/ice) in your own car ready to bust ass up the canyons to help some knuckle head out.

A number of us do help out from time to time...and yeah, we shouldn't be harsh on the SAR guys. But, the local gendarme did change the requirements to be on SAR so its almost impossible for any local "climber" to be on SAR, as the time requirements alone would make it near impossible to have any time for your own climbing. Not to mention the other restrictions...

Yeah, give any of us a shout and we'd come running. Rescue from the base of the bulge pitch of a person with a broken ankle? I'd think that'd be a snap (so to speak, ha ha).

Part of the criticism comes from the way the media reports the news, and, maybe its wrong to assume that they got their "put" from the sheriff and SAR folks, but, that's how it came across. I'm just glad the injuries were minor and they were in a super easy location to access.

And, some of us have rescued with broken ankles. Wasn't that hard.

It is a good reminder to hone those skills, though.

Cheers.

Brian in SLC wrote: A number of us do help out from time to time....

Had there been more climbers up there, they could have brought them down.

Best Wishes go out to the rescued.

Once again, I must say that ice climbing sucks. Climbing in the summer, skiing in the winter makes sense.

The Nacho.

Best Wishes go out to the rescued.

Once again, I must say that ice climbing sucks. Climbing in the summer, skiing in the winter makes sense.

The Nacho.