Climber Dies

[canadiantreeman]

Does the wraptor allow a person to descend directly off of it? If not, is it possible to manufacture a safe way in which to do so?

 

[Burnham]

Yes, Dylan...that's the designed "escape" rigging protocol. You attach to it with your standard DRT system (or a SRT descent system, that works just as easily).

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Most of our rescue situations here Paul are a descending scenario to the victim. River canyons with almost vertical sides. The real work is getting the rescuers and the victim(s) in a basket or on a board back up the wall. Wraptor would climb right back up the rappel line.

Winding roads up here see many a car down in the canyons. Some are more recovery than rescue

 

[RIVERRAT]

They said the limb had him pinned across the shoulders.

I know it. Just gives me the desire to want to know more. Not enough information yet to fully understand what happened.

 

[Altissimus]

... as a climber, a first responder (OEC ) , and someone lucky enough to survive enough close calls to make fifty years old ...this story really gets me ... down. Most of my work is "around back" or the bucket guy or crane crew gets the job.... once saw a piece on caving , those guys say it flat out ... " Only another caver can rescue a caver" ... two and one half hour response time spells shit show to me ... poor guy! Thoughts and prayers to him, his family, and his friends and co workers.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I live in a mountain climbing region and the major fire station has an adjoining training area for practicing rope methods for different types of rescue. I see a lot of young guys out there fairly regularly, and seeming to enjoy it. If training could be initiated by the fire departments in your areas, I think it would receive a welcomed response.

 

[vharrison]

Very sad.

 

[treesmith]

Most of the time, I set mine (Wraptor) up with the tail tied off on the ground. That way, once I reach my jumping-off point, I just unclip and let the ground guy lower it whilst I "steer" it through obstructions, if necessary. That's the way I'd recommend it be used for rescue. One rescuer goes up, and whilst he is doing any preliminary work on the rescue attempt, the other can be Wraptoring up. As to descent, surely anyone schooled at all in rigging should be able to lower an unconscious (or disabled) victim in a controlled manner.

The only time I had to go up and rescue anyone was when a guy had his saw kick back and chew his hand up pretty bad. (He could have gotten down on his own, but the sight of the blood freaked him out). I simply tied in alongside of him and worked both our tautline hitches alternately as we descended. We were always told that the figure eight we tied between the bowline and the tautline was to indicate where to cut the bridge, if necessary. I always thought that cutting the bridge was stupid, as the tautline would present a good snag possibility as the crew belayed the climber to the ground, because it's going up and through the crotch.

The best rescue is the one never needed, I suppose.

 

[Burnham]

That's the whole darn truth right there.

 

[RIVERRAT]

I always thought that cutting the bridge was stupid,

Until some one can explain to me how making this cut should be an accepted practice........STUPID I find to be a pretty good assessment of it as a practice.......Great Post!!

I have a strong interest in guns & knives. There are few men I would place second to when it comes to thier use. With that said, I have found few, all ready stressfull situations, that could not be made much worse when either are used with out first having a firm grasp of the situation.

 

[SkwerI]

Fifteen years of climbing on a tautline hitch and I absolutely refused to tie a figure eight knot between the hitch and the bridge. The bosses at Davey gave me hell about it until I made them describe the acceptable circumstances for cutting an injured climber's rope between the bridge and the hitch and they couldn't.

 

[Widow Shooter]

Fifteen years of climbing on a tautline hitch and I absolutely refused to tie a figure eight knot between the hitch and the bridge. The bosses at Davey gave me hell about it until I made them describe the acceptable circumstances for cutting an injured climber's rope between the bridge and the hitch and they couldn't.

who the fu$% climbs with a tautline anymore friggin stonehenge stuff........... oooops, sorry bossman but I do see Brian's point loud and clear.

 

[Burnham]

I'd bet there are more climbers out there in the real world using the tautline or blake's tied up trad style than any other friction hitch system.

And yes, it is pre-historic .

 

[SkwerI]

Burnham, in your climbing classes do you have the students tie a figure 8 in the line between the bridge and the tautline/Blake's?

 

[MasterBlaster]

@ Burnham to Cary...

And there ya go.

 

[gf beranek]

The real skinny of what happened is pretty vague. Leaves a lot to wonder. So sad. Tough to draw any firm conclusions the cause. But the rescue is another thing. If the guy had vital signs even just shortly after the accident a speedy rescue might of saved him. Terrible sad.

 

[Widow Shooter]

bah! humbug....I started blakes, got sick of pushing from under eal quick, not fast enough for this jungle cat

 

[Burnham]

Nope, I don't Brian, and I don't think any other FS instructors do either. It's not a protocol we endorse.

Oh, I agree with you 100%, Cary.

Of course, you know there are simple ways to make that system self tending...right??

 

[Widow Shooter]

The real skinny of what happened is pretty vague. Leaves a lot to wonder. So sad. Tough to draw any firm conclusions the cause. But the rescue is another thing. If the guy had vital signs even just shortly after the accident a speedy rescue might of saved him. Terrible sad.

i think all Rescue people need to be trained in rapid SRT and rescue

 

[woodworkingboy]

What would be the intended function of a figure eight between the hitch and bridge?

Thanks.

 

[NeTree]

So people who shouldn't be there in the first place can tell which line to cut if they need to cut the climber's hitch out.

 

[Mr. Sir]

Something we were taught back in stonehenge.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Haha.

 

[treesmith]

who the fu$% climbs with a tautline anymore friggin stonehenge stuff........... oooops, sorry bossman but I do see Brian's point loud and clear.

I climb on tautline more than anything else. Sometimes use a Blake's, sometimes Diestel, have tries VT. Tautline is my go-to however, as old habits die hard. And I frequently go days without ever officially tying in. Climb up, climb down.

 

[MasterBlaster]

That don't sound like no fun at all.