Another accident

There just seems to be a spate of outdoor related injuries and incidents lately.

Climbing in Grand Teton National Park is a very popular activity. Rescues are so common that one spokesman has said, "It happens all the time."

Major rescues are often precipitated by falls, but also by avalanches and lightning strikes. A few years ago 16 major rescues (involving a helicopter) were necessary in one day due to a lightning strike.

In 2011, major rescues per year averaged 17-20 in the Park, but the number has risen occasionally to about 30 per year. Minor rescues (that don't require a helicopter or cost over $500) are a regular occurrence in the summer. When you think of attacks by grizzly bears or other indigenous wildlife, the numbers are minor compared to falls by climbers and hikers.

Condolences to the women's families.

Links:
Jackson Hole News & Guide
Casper Star Tribune

MONDAY PARK SERVICE REPORT


Includes the Teewinot fatalities and another ten climbers that needed rescue on Sunday. Add the 17 on Wednesday referenced in TNW's link and you have 30 people rescued in 4 days.

Aug 25, 2015 15:35:50 GMT -8 desert dweller said:

Two women fell to their death climbing in the Tetons

Well, that's not all, of course.

The most important, and most highly cautionary, information I gleaned from that article was this:
"The route up the east side of the mountain is not considered technical in nature and often is climbed without the use of ropes, Grand Teton officials said.

Sunday's climbing party had veered from the route up the hill they had initially sought and, as a result, were challenged by more difficult and technical terrain when the fall occurred, according to the park."

A forum post (Mountain Project) about the incident:
"Many climbers ascend the E Face of Teewinot without ropes - the easiest way up is 4th class - but many find that the route-finding somewhat confusing. Sounds like they had moved well off of the `easy` way up. I cannot imagine day-hikers even attempting that face, intimidating as it is."
Forum: Two climbers die in Tetons

First Link from one of the posts in that forum:
Fall on Rock, Failure to Follow Route, No Equipment, Inadequate Clothing, Inexperience, Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park, Mount Teewinot

From the poster's first link:
"Ultimately, these men found themselves in terrain that they were not prepared for, both in equipment and skills. There were several decisions, as well as several contributing factors, that were made on that day that led up to the accident:

Their decision to not back track when they realized that they were no longer on the Apex trail led them far from the East Face and the established route. Possibly their success on the Middle Teton the day before bolstered their confidence about staying on route and as a result, they may have underestimated the difficulty of Teewinot and the range in general. Staying on the trail most likely would have kept them on the East Face route; however, very technical terrain would still have been encountered and a similar accident could have happened on that route too."

And from the 2nd one on yet another fall (Fall on Rock, Inadequate Equipment, Inexperience, Wyoming, Tetons):
"In an interview on August 2, Froelicher said that they had not taken any ropes on the climb. He said that general information around the valley was that the East Face of Teewinot was a walk-up route, not requiring technical equipment or experience. Froelicher said that neither he nor Sams had much climbing experience."

As someone else said, apparently not all that unusual - but preventable with adequate caution. IOW, no particular climbing skill required (other than route-finding), but some common sense is absolutely indispensable.

Of course, I'm NOT a climber, but I occasionally attempt some scrambling, though I keep my own severe limitations in the fore of my thoughts constantly. Still, the titles of those 2 links are probably all anyone should need, right? "Inadequate ________ (equipment, clothing, information, etc., etc.) - and the most important 'INADEQUATE': Inexperience"