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Some distant friends of mine were up there and helped with the aftermath but didn't witness it. From what I hear she slipped somewhere around the second bolts and decked onto the rock below. there was some loss of consciousness and a brief seizure. she was helicoptered out from the parking lot.

What "preventative measures" can be taken? it doesn't appear there was a belayer error or gear misuse. if you fall with rope out clipping the second bolt of most routes, the result is not going to be pretty. I think that there are a lot of people out there getting in over there heads and taken responsibilities that they are not yet knowledgeable enough for but how can you control that? You can only educate people who are willing to learn. People often are only interested in learning when the shit has hit the fan.

Safe Climber, what preventative measures would you suggest?

pawilkes wrote:What "preventative measures" can be taken?

agreed.

the number of climbers (of all skill levels and backgrounds) has increased exponentially in the past few years. more accidents is a result of the numbers, from where i stand.

It doesn't matter if only "the people who care" take the time to be safe. Fact is, unless we do all we can to reduce injuries ourselves, someone else (i.e., the forest service) will come along and make us. If a climber gets airlifted from the gorge every weekend, sooner or later someone important will notice. Yeah, the law of averages says that the more people climb, the more accidents will happen, but legislators and angry parents don't really pay attention to things like that.

Critics of dangerous activities will only see an increase in injuries and demand that they be stopped, even if it is the climber's own fault. It may eventually come to the closing of walls on FS land, it may not. It all depends on how the problem spreads from here.

People need to learn to climb somewhere, whether it be at a gym, from your buddy, whatever. I think people who attempt to teach others how to climb need to be more mindful of the consequences of doing a shitty job.

pawilkes wrote:What "preventative measures" can be taken?

Well we can't do much to prevent falls and broken bones, but we can't deny that helmet usage would likely help with the more serious accidents. That said, I only put the helmet on for trad and scary sport routes. I may change that....

We are very lucky that most recent serious accidents have occurred on private land. I agree the forest service would "stop these accidents"...by restricting access....

I have been wearing a helmet recently on sport routes. I forget sometimes because I climbed for 10 years without one, but it will eventually become a part of my routine like putting on shoes.

just about every sport i have been involved in over the years have involved helmets and for the most part were supported and pushed by industry leaders. be it skate boarding, roller hockey, bull riding, 4-wheel highwalling, bike riding/road and mtb or riding a cart down the big hill a brain bucket was attached.

i dont understand why helmets are not used more in our sport. with guiding we wear them 100% of the time while climbing and a large part of the time while we are at the cliff. you get used to them quick and they are not bad in the summer, sometimes even helping block the sun crux of some routes. with helmets that are made today anyone can find one that fits their budget and their dome.

the old argument of not needing them on steeper climbs has been shown to be false. its impossible to know the outcome of accidents if things would have been different...with that said i wonder if things could have been different over the last few major ones.

you paid money for that helmet sitting in your closet, break it out and at least take it to the crag. listen to your gut and dont be embarrassed to put it on.

be safe out there and if you see someone fixing to eat shit be the jerk of the moment if you have to be and step it.

my heart sinks every time i hear of an accident and my thoughts and prayers go out to those that are involved.

Word Matt.

" What preventive measures can we take"

When in doubt stick clip high.