Rescue in Eldo last night

FrankPS wrote:I see all the Monday morning quarterbacks are coming out.

So these rescuees are the professional climbers being critiqued by laymen?

tim wrote: This sounds right to me. After reading the first hand report, I don't know what to think. Start at 10 am, wait 2 hours for other parties, wait for soloist, stop for lunch. Is this a troll? Is anyone really this ridiculous?

Sounds like Eldo to me. And the RMRG comment, that they prefer this to a body recover should be kept in mind! Remember Swanson's Arete climbers are probably like me, fairly new. If this was a Yellow Spur report, I'd have a different opinion.

However, the real culprit in my mind is the ones dissing the dirty deed raps. I've gone down the Vertigo raps, the Dirty deed raps, and also East slabs from a different climb. I'll give Dirty deed the thumbs up (until my rope gets stuck of course). I understand the loose rock on the rap has been cleaned by guides in the early AM hours. IMHO, there are lots of places that ropes get stuck more frequently. For someone at the Swanson's Arete climbing level (5.6 for the approach pitch), the East Slabs and the Vertigo rappels are not a good option, unless they are already familiar with them.

PS: and if a rope gets stuck, the climbing to recover it is reasonable for the Swanson's Arete climber.

Disclaimer: I only climb Eldo 5.7, so I'm nowhere near the expert level most of the commenters are!!

A good friend of mine once brought two newbs up the squamish buttress when he was himseld fairly new ...

They took quite a while and topped out in the dark

They also didnt bring any headlamps

So they took out their solitary cellphone and used it to find the trail ...

However they were afraid that they would get off trail and tumble down a cliff ...

So they put my friend on belay and belayed him down the trail ... Note this is a well marked trail that tens of thousands hike every year, it has staircases and is quite obvious

Once my friend got to a big tree he but the others on belay and they followed him ... They did this over and over again ...

Oh what i would have given for photos of that !!!

However they didnt call SAR

Hint ... Make sure that not only yr partner has a headlamp as well, but that the batteries are fairly fresh ... Most folks dont get the concept of "parasitic drain"

I usually offer before hand that folks use my headlamps which i have charged the bats ... I have two 900 lumen headlamps (each weights 145g with bat and fits in a pocket) that i always keep in the car/pack ...

The more lumens the better as you wont be like my friend above, but this time on sleese where he froze for lack of lumens ... But thats another story that involves much spooning and 2 hawt chicks

;)

Wayne wrote: Disclaimer: I only climb Eldo 5.7, so I'm nowhere near the expert level most of the commenters are!!

I wouldn't be so sure.

tim wrote: This sounds right to me. After reading the first hand report, I don't know what to think. Start at 10 am, wait 2 hours for other parties, wait for soloist, stop for lunch. Is this a troll? Is anyone really this ridiculous?

welcome to eldo

Just curious, in this day and age of ongoing connectivity and no tolerance of risk, is there any chance that a search and/or rescue could've been initiated just by virtue of their car being present in the parking lot?

I'm pretty sure calling SAR for a non-life threatening issue and following up with a large donation to their organization is widely acceptable behavior. The climber is humble, understands his mistake, and whether or not calling SAR was the "right" call according to your own personal etiquette, he's doing the right thing by giving them a donation. I'm sure SAR/RMR would approve of his actions.

Also, as someone who frequently climbs in eldo my first time up the red garden I did anthill direct with a friend less experienced/skilled than I. We had never done the east slabs descent before but had looked at the guidebook and thought we had a handle on it. We finished the route in the dark staring down the slabs having no clue where to go. Since I frequently solo the flat irons, I felt more comfortable down climbing. I set (wonky) anchors all down the east slabs, would lower him to the end of the rope, clean the anchors, and downclimb to him. Probably did this 6 times Including some absolutely terrifying anchors. For those who don't know, the way down the east slabs is not direct. Straight down dumps you over the roughly 100 foot wall across from the wind tower. We got incredibly lucky because we found a large tree slung up wth rap rings right at the lip of that wall, probably some other unlucky folks who had the same experience we did. A 70 meter got us to the ground with about 3 feet to spare. We hit the ground around 11:30 PM.

The point is eldo can be deceiving because it's so accessible. That accessibility leads people to believe they can push themselves in the park. It's why people deck off Tagger all the time. They do Calypso and then feel all well and good being 10 feet from the parking lot and try the 5.9+ (insecure with dubious gear). The descents and route finding in eldo are difficult. Everyone gets their eldo education, it's just a question of how schooled you get. By staying below your limits for a while and getting to know the layout of the park well, your eldo education will be more of a detention than an expulsion.

Glad you guys are alright and made the call. Just make sure to pay it back with a donation and I see this situation as all good.

Man, this was a long time ago, but I remember doing the east slabs descent three times in the early 90s. We nailed it perfectly the first time. The second time we rushed because I was late for work, got cliffed, and had to do a couple of crappy rappels, leaving some tat and biners. The third time, we topped out at dusk, got lost, and finally made it to the car after midnight. I don't remember anything simple about that way down.

We're all human and we make mistakes. I'm glad you got down in one piece.

The first time I was exposed to Dirt Deeds Chimney I was following the Dirty Deeds route. Two guys rapped the chimney and got their rope stuck. They ended up asking one of my party to get it unstuck for them. I, having never led trad before but understanding the concept, looked at the rope they had managed to pull and thought "This chimney looks easy. When don't they just lead up with the rope they have available and get it unstuck themselves?" There's loose rock up there and yes, you could get a rope stuck, but you could also get it free again. If it's getting dark, better to head back to somewhat familiar territory.

As for the phone thing. I'm 32. I've had my first smart phone for about a year. I take it with me climbing and hiking.... because it's the only camera I own. That's it. Now having the MP app can be useful too, but I never expect to get a signal and though I do often use it during a trip, I think it detracts from what I'm really out there to enjoy. Prior to having a smart phone, I never took a cell with me when I went into the wilderness. Getting out safely was always squarely on MY shoulders. And it still is.

In addition: I was talking with a friend yesterday, telling him I always got a little nervous further up on multi-pitch route. He basically said it's because at that point, it's serious. And he's right. It's not cragging, you can't lower and walk away leaving gear behind if necessary. You and your partner are on your own at that point. Now imagine there's no established rap routes and that what's above is unknown. The pioneers were ballsy!

The cell phone camera has ruined the wilderness experience and live concerts unless you are front row! ;)

Buff Johnson wrote: welcome to eldo

Funny, that's not at all the Eldo I am familiar with.
Sure, it happens on multi-pitch easy routes anywhere.
But the Naked Edge goes Car-to-Car in well under an hour as well.
And 5.11 trad multi-pitch is so common enough that people don't talk about it. You have to do it just to keep up with the Jones's.
Welcome to Eldo.
Land of multiple personalities.

Cornelius Jefferson wrote: not really. majority of climbers there know what's up. pretty lame excuse for calling the cavalry imo. oh noes my cell phone is dying cause I was facebooking on red ledge and now I might have to spend the night out HERE in the wilderness :-( not knowing your descent and farting around too much on a climb that was for several reasons over your head is why you spend the night out instead of making people come find you and escort you out. you really wanted to knock off the route and you knew it was questionable yet you pushed on...why? cause you had RMR on speed dial? clearly you fail to realize how much of the climbing experience and tradition is centered on self-reliance and responsibility. discomfort and suffering will find you one day regardless of your technological crutches, might as well toughen the fuck up now.

++++1!

I climbed that route once. Pretty mediocre outing if you ask me. I had picked up a couple Sheilas at the local pub; one a beautiful blonde, the other a beautiful burnette. I promised them a fun night and sure enough, after the third brew they decided to accompany me.

We left the pub around 930 and were parked and hiking by about 10pm. I wasn't very familiar with the park as I had only been climbing on Eldorado Canyon once before. This was of course when I onsight freesoloed the Naked Edge naked and barefoot.

Anyway, we got to the base of the chimney at about 1015 and I went to town impressing them with a freesolo and downsolo of Grandmothers challenge, in the nude of course. Needless to say, they were impressed!

At 1030 we started up the chimney. Neither of them had ever climbed before so of course I soloed next while simultaneously providing top belay and an aggressive spot.

By the red ledge they were so lathered up you could've shaved a buffalo with it. I wooed them both and began intercourse no later than 11. They wanted to wait another day as they had synced menses and today was the day but I told them no worries and continued the making of the love. This is, of course, how the Red Ledge got its name after all.

We topped out and decended the east slabs in four hours including the 2 hour threesome. All with no phones mind you. What took you so long mate?

First of all, I don't think it's helpful to be bashing these guys for getting freaked out and calling up RMRG to do exactly what they exist to do. He and his partner were obviously scared, concerned for their safety, and had to make a decision. There is more to climbing and to life than always proving how much of a self-reliant hardman you are. I'm sure their families are glad they made the call and ended up safe back at home, hopefully with lessons learned.

That being said, I think what could be productive is a discussion about the differences in mindset between both the old and new generation of climbers, and more specifically, the mindset of newer climbers from popular climbing meccas like Boulder, where it seems like the perception of risk is watered down simply due to the amount of climbers, the proximity to urban centers, the availability of rescuers, etc.

I am a relatively new rock climber, but have been spending time in the wilderness my whole life and am no stranger to risk and adventure. A little over a year ago, my brother and I did our first big alpine climb on the Elephant's Perch in Idaho. It was late in the season (Oct 27) and we knew we were completely on our own. Long story short, we took too long on the route and topped out after sunset, only to find that the descent route had a lot more snow and ice than we had expected. We pulled out the emergency bivy sack (which I always carry) and hunkered down for a long, cold night, waiting until morning to complete the descent in daylight which we thought would be a safer option. Calling for help never even crossed our minds, not to mention that there was no cell service. Completely exhausted, cold, and dehydrated, we completed the descent in winter conditions the next morning, packed up camp, and hiked the 10+ miles out, a little beaten up mentally and physically, but otherwise in good shape. If anyone is interested, you can read the whole story here:

wanderhigh.com/2013/10/27/e…

Personally, I don't think a lot of new climbers approach the sport with enough respect for the massive risks that exist out there. Sure, climbing can be safe if you do everything right, and I've never been injured or involved in an accident, but every time I go out, whether to the local crag or to a wilderness alpine route, I go out knowing that I'm only one simple mistake, one falling rock, one wrong turn or one slip away from serious injury or death. I read, research, ask questions, practice, and train to give myself the best possible chance of staying alive in the mountains. Climbing is serious business, and should be approached as such.

Everything considered, if I were to find myself in a bad situation and felt like I needed help and had the ability to get it, I wouldn't hesitate to do so. But, I do put a lot of effort into doing everything I can to prevent that from ever happening - not only because I'd rather not have to, but a lot of the time, it simply isn't an option.

To the guys who had to be "rescued", you have nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. Simply learn what you can from it and move on. Hopefully this was a learning experience and will lead to many more safe years in the mountains.

You shouldn't call for rescue unless your totally broken and going to die within two hours. Anything else is part of the fun. Shivering on a dark ledge is a right of passage. Not a reason to call your Mom.

"That being said, I think what could be productive is a discussion about the differences in mindset between both the old and new generation of climbers"

It might be an interesting discussion but I don't think you could draw an incredibly accurate conclusion when talking about technology. They simply didn't have the option. I'm sure people older than myself will get on and say that they would never call for help back in the day ( as some already have), but we'll never really know.
I'm 33. I got my first smart phone a year or so ago. It doesn't come with me climbing, backpacking or backcountry skiing. I don't have a Facebook account and I fucking hate go-pros. I've seen plenty of 50-somethings with their phones out at the crag or some piece of technology guiding the way up the route. I think it's all just a personal preference.

No need to make this into more than it is. A couple people out climbing that appear to have very little common sense. No need to lump their entire generation in with it. 2 people with exceptionally bad judgement and no self-reliance ethic don't make a trend. BTW, this type of decision making should be harshly criticized, it is potentially bad for all of us. Shame and embarrassment can be a powerful deterrent. 

Perhaps a good question to ask yourself when considering calling SAR should be "Would I take a bill for $5,000 to be rescued right now?" If the answer is no, it's probably not bad enough to call yet.

Embarrassed Gumby wrote: The GPS coordinates we gave to SAR put us roughly here:: google.com/maps/place/39%C2%B055'56.0%22N+105%C2%B017'06.0%22W/@39.9329087,-105.2851197,486m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0 The SAR route down had us bushwhack through the massive branch wall, hike down a bit, lower down a short tricky slab, do a full 60m single strand rappel, then more hiking,then a short rap, then we were on the Wind Tower trail.

I still cannot figure out where you were. I get that you were on the east slabs but how do you avoid the chockstone or friction slab and get to windtower trail? Did you never get into the gully/trail between Hawk-Eagle Ridge and the East Slabs? Did you rap over the Bulge? Just curious...