Twin Sisters/ Wizards Gate rock fall death

There was an accident due to rock fall at Wizards Gate in RMNP yesterday resulting in the tragic loss of a member of our community. I think I can speak for everyone that was there in saying that we were all hit hard by it and extend our deepest condolences to the family and everyone else impacted by our loss. In trying to process the day, I think its important to share some factors surrounding the accident and possible considerations to help prevent these sort of accidents in the future.
There were over 20 of us climbing at or near Wizards Gate yesterday, maybe the most some have ever experienced at this crag. Most importantly though, and probably in an effort of finding something open to climb, several parties ventured up multi-pitch routes while others stuck to single pitching below. Given some of the questionable rock, especially higher up on the less traveled multi-pitch routes, knowingly or unknowingly, those at the base of the wall were immediately in a dangerous situation.
Tragically, the worst case scenario played out when a large block was dislodged on one of the multi pitch routes and struck someone in the head/neck at the base of the wall. We did our best, came together, climbers and emergency rescue personnel, but unfortunately the resulting injuries were too acute and the environment too difficult to facilitate a rapid evac and save a life.

I feel devastated for her family and her boyfriend and the other woman or more friends who may have been with her. I’m concerned for my climbing partner and others who tried our best to assist in an impossible tragedy. I’m so  sorry for this young lady. 

Oh, man, so terrible.  I almost killed a friend as we climbed unroped to the summit of Bugaboo Spire many years ago.  His quick action, sense of balance and good luck saved us from a tragedy.  I thought I was being careful, too.  Condolences.

Speaking as someone who is very close to the victim and her family, I would like to thank everyone who came together to help her yesterday.

Tragic news. Condolences to all who knew. 

Sorry to hear, I have definitely been in the situation of being on a multipitch with single pitches below (Diablo Canyon), and while on the established route my party knocked a large foothold loose. Fortunately nobody was below but regardless we were being careful of loose rock (which is almost impossible to avoid in that area) and it was easy to see how dangerous it would be to climb below others that are higher up. The rock landed perfectly at the start to another route after falling cleanly through air almost 150 ft. 

That had to be so rough for everyone involved, I appreciate you sharing for awareness. 

Climbing Grief Fund

The CGF was created by Madaleine Sorkin to provide mental health support and aid in the processing of death in the mountains. American Alpine Club now houses the organization and assists in connecting survivors to resources and therapy grants. CGF's therapeutic manager is available now to coordinate group sessions and point people towards qualified therapists.  

Grieffund@americanalpineclub.org

Please share with all those affected by this tragic loss to our community.

I was stunned to learn of the accident at Wizard's Gate on Saturday that resulted in the death of a climber. This is so tragic and it deeply saddens me as a long-time member of the Estes Park climbing community and one of the lead developers of the Wizard's Gate since 2009 and the person who established The White Raven and The Arrival 4-pitch routes in 2018. For those who were at the crag on Saturday and endured a horrific experience, I am very grateful for all you did to comfort and try to save her life.I can only imagine the grief and suffering and my heart-felt sympathy goes out to the family and friends of the climber who passed on Saturday.       Bob Siegrist

Does anyone know if Wizards Gate area has a rescue litter up at the location much like there's one at Vail's Rigid Designator Amphitheatre?

If not, seems useful for this or future rescues in the area, especially if there is still rockfall and new routes happening.

Side note that that money could be raised to get a litter in the memory of the deceased plus put a memorial plague on it.

Condolences

Placing rescue equipment at Wizard’s Gate n also Woodstone/Half&Half could be life-saving. I would want to check w RMNP climbing rangers et al for their opinion as to what is the proper equipment n best location. If it is permissible n this moves forward, I will donate up to $500 to help cover the cost. 

Agree about having rescue equipment up there for the future. Would be happy to contribute or help raise money to go towards the cause as well.

Benjamn P wrote:

Does anyone know if Wizards Gate area has a rescue litter up at the location much like there's one at Vail's Rigid Designator Amphitheatre?

If not, seems useful for this or future rescues in the area, especially if there is still rockfall and new routes happening.

Side note that that money could be raised to get a litter in the memory of the deceased plus put a memorial plague on it.

Condolences

Good thought, Benjamn. There is not a rescue litter there, as they have at Vail and, closer to here, at Hidden Valley in RMNP (very popular ski touring place, not terribly different, in the popularity sense, from Wizard's Gate on Saturday -- there were more climbers than I'd ever seen there). The paramedic and SAR teams arrived impressively fast, and were truly heroic in all that they did. But yes, time did pass while waiting for their arrival with the litter. I don't know if it would have made a difference in this case, tragically, as she was so severely injured. It was absolutely devastating to see, such a horrible tragedy. It also was amazing and humbling how everyone come together -- I mean everyone, from neighboring formations, multi pitch routes, everywhere -- to try to save her. 

Still processing it all and feeling a bit quiet here, but Neale (I think that's him, ND, who started this thread) made some really important notes, and yours is valuable, too. As are all of the supportive comments. I see other people on here who helped. Bob has made so many contributions to our community, including WG itself. We have so much to be grateful for. And yet, as climbing grows and changes, I think it's important for us to evolve with it. I don't have answers, but some of the notes here seem extremely helpful. 

Back to your suggestion, Ben: I think it's a good one, and though I don't know what's involved (if anything...the climbing is on national forest land, hard to imagine getting in trouble for it), I would certainly donate and help. 

I was there and would also donate and help. I don’t know anything about Helicopters, but she needed an airlift more than anything. Is there anything that could be done to make helicopter rescue an option?

There are probably no good landing zones at the crags that wouldn’t require a lengthy semi-technical litter out to get to. One option is a rescue hoist on the national guard helicopter which has a sometimes lengthy ordering time and limited hoist length, an issue working next to high cliffs. Another option is short-haul extraction, however there aren’t any short-haul ships local in the front range as far as I know. 

Evan Gerry wrote:

There are probably no good landing zones at the crags that wouldn’t require a lengthy semi-technical litter out to get to. One option is a rescue hoist on the national guard helicopter which has a sometimes lengthy ordering time and limited hoist length, an issue working next to high cliffs. Another option is short-haul extraction, however there aren’t any short-haul ships local in the front range as far as I know. 

Yes, doubtful there are any landing zones anywhere up there. But as you point out, a hoist could probably be done. 

For those unfamiliar: They've been used in and around the park a lot, mostly above tree line so I'm (also) not sure what their tolerance level is for trees. That said, The proximity to cliffs probably wouldn't have been an issue on a low-wind day like Saturday. Typically, the hoist team comes from Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, does the hoist, then rendezvous with the medical helicopter (e.g. Flight For Life or Medevac). Not a super quick process but certainly much faster than alternatives. 

Such a tragic accident.

Kim Schwartz wrote:

I was there and would also donate and help. I don’t know anything about Helicopters, but she needed an airlift more than anything. Is there anything that could be done to make helicopter rescue an option?

Not a specialist, and that might depend on what types of rescue teams are or not available in the area, but I was first aid responder for remote environment (forestry) for years and there are definitely difficulties with that approach. On top of having the proper stretcher I mean. The thing is that actually strapping up someone properly for that kind of extraction isn't something that most people could just improvise successfully. Nausea & vomitting, for instance, can definitely be an issue with head trauma and spinal injuries are also quite possible. As far as I know, many (most?) helicopters don't have the room to allow moving the patient once he/she has been loaded. So strapping someone to a stretcher on their back likely wouldn't work (or risk have them drown if they throw up). That makes preparing the patient for the evac quite technical, as it involves moving a potential spine fracture around, and also requires a bit of gear (on top of just a stretcher). One must also consider that they don't fly if the weather is not good enough. High winds and/or low visibility may be enough to prevent an helicopter evac in hilly settings. While a trained individual that manages its stress level well with a few random helpers may be able to package someone within 5-10 minutes (given proper material)... it does suppose at least one very competent, clear-headed & trained individual, or a few decently trained ones figuring it out toghether.

==============

I actively took part in 1 helivac over the years. About 200km up forestry roads from the nearest hospital. Guy developed respiratory distress from not managing some flue infection (flail chest or something). Ended taking ~2hours getting him out, from the moment he collapsed, with a few hiccups along the way and just bad luck - inclement weather and lack of acceptable landing site, requiring us to move him some distance. Had to give him oxygen as well in the meantime. Doctors said if he hadn't got into a ER that hour or the next, he'd probably be gone. And we did have all the necessary gear, as well as a few people trained just 1 or 2 months prior for exactly that type of operation. It's all fun and games while it's just training, and everybody thought they'd be real good in an actual situation. But turns out not everyone can keep their shit toghether when a life is actually at play.

Not saying it's not worth investigating - but it's far from the silver bullet people sometimes imagine. There certainly have been successful helivacs, but many unsuccessful ones as well.

This is terrible. It sounds like some rescue gear in place would be a great idea, even if it might not have lead to a different outcome in this case.  

To all those who were there, hopefully, in her last moments, she felt and sensed your collective support and presence.  Thank you for being there and trying hard.   

Can I ask a question?  Were many people there from one large group, or were there just many people who showed up in small groups to climb?  If it was one large group, the debrief take place in an closed institutional setting.  If it was many small groups, perhaps some people could get together to share their experiences, and try to express/identify their feelings and decisions.  It would probably help to process the whole thing.  Also, I imagine that there might have been some people there who were thinking, "Wow, maybe this isn't the best idea?"  But it's hard to make clear decisions in crowded, flowing, fun, environments.  In my experience there is often a point where things start to change or go sideways, and it might be helpful to try to identify that point, so that one could more easily step back and say, "Wait a minute," in the future.  I'm absolutely not saying I wouldn't have been climbing there having a good time as well, just with the benefit of hindsight that in important point at a debrief might be to ask if anybody was feeling a bit uneasy, and to brainstrom about how to exporess that unease in similar situations.  

In some ways, it reminds me of ice climbing in crowded places.  Falling ice is inevitable and expected.  Therefore, it's generally understood that you should not single pitch or top rope under a multi-pitch ice line.  The same "rule" doesn't really seem to exist as strongly in rock climbing; I guess it depends on many factors like the orientation of the lines, the rock quality, and so on. 

But, as crags get more crowded, maybe/hopefully, it will become common practice not to top rope under multi-pitch parties.  

Empathy to all.

Bruno Schull wrote:

But, as crags get more crowded, maybe/hopefully, it will become common practice not to top rope under multi-pitch parties.  

With respect to the incident in question, what is the context to this?  

Just avoid multi-pitch climbing on crowded days when you will potentially rain loose rocks down on the below parties.  This is so tragic, and so preventable, especially when you consider how easy something like this is to see coming for the people doing the multi-pitch climb.  Its not like loose rock is something that is never thought about by people doing long routes.  

Stretchers can be improvised from packs and ropes, but I couldn’t agree more with Frank’s comments - that even with all the supplies present and a group full of WFR new-grads - the experience and wherewithal to take control of a very bad situation and do everything right is something few if any outside of an ER or paramedic job will have.  Aspire to learn and retain those skills, but don’t feel guilty if you weren’t suddenly transformed into an emergency professional when it was needed most.

Hey JNE, well, I guess the context here is that people obviously were climbing above others, or, to put it another way, people were climbing below others.  There's no rule here, although perhaps there should be.  

I don't know if that's the case here: were people top roping or just using the first pitch of multi-pitch lines, or were there independent multi-pitch lines that lead above?  And if the latter, who has precedence at a crowded crag?  

You wrote, "Just avoid multi-pitch climbing on crowded days when you will potentially rain loose rocks down on the below parties."

Couldn't you also have written, "Just avoid climbing at the bottom of multi-pitch crags on crowded days when there will potentially be loose rocks raining down from above." 

As I said, I don't think there's a rule, just a whole lot of gray area, with lots of potential for (miss)communication and accidents, as this tragically shows.

Bruno Schull wrote:

Couldn't you also have written, "Just avoid climbing at the bottom of multi-pitch crags on crowded days when there will potentially be loose rocks raining down from above." 

Sure, I could have also written that, but I chose not to.  That's because I read it as people roped up and started doing multi-pitch routes after other people were already at the crag doing the thing the crag was apparently primarily developed around: single pitch routes.