climber decks, kills dog?

[sendit]

Heard someone decked ~50 ft Sunday after blowing the second to last bolt on a route and landed on the belayers dog killing the dog instantly.

[Saxman]

From a person who was there and witnessed it. A large group was at Military with music playing, possibly loud enough to make communication between climber and belayer difficult. Climber was getting into the upper knee bar on Reliquary when he fell. The climber landed on the belayer's dog killing it instantly. The belayer was holding the gri gri in her right hand with fingers over the cam and said she didn't know how it could have happened. Worse, she said this was the third time it has happened to her. Things like this keep reminding me why I don't go to busy crags on the weekends.

[allah]

that's so sad to hear about the dog.... is the climber okay?

[Climbingrocks]

This is happening already! Being safe really doesn't seem that hard.

Was it a stereo or some flip flop wearing college douche bag with a guitar? Both are fucking awful and appearing more and more.

Poor dog.

[michaelarmand]

Maybe radios instead of dogs should be banned at some crags?

I don't want to make any sort of judgement about these folks or anyone else. But can we please leave our electronics in the car? Is it too much to get away Lady Gaga and Facebook for a few hours?

Maybe at Rocktoberfest we can have an "educational" distracted belaying contest. We start with loud music, add a dog trying to eat food out of your pack, have people launch water baloons at the belayer...final challenge is the yellow jacket attack Drop the 150 lb dummy and you lose!

[pkananen]

The good news is that with every accident, climbers are becoming more educated. The bad news is that also means people (or dogs?) are getting hurt or killed.

[tutugirl]

It could have been a child...

[Andrew]

or an adult. I was sitting on the ground while Art was climbing, he fell and I looked up and realized that if he would have not been caught I would have been crushed. How often do we sit under climbers.

[Andrew]

Do we know that the people who were playing loud music were the people who had the accident. They could have been separate groups.

[captain static]

There will be a Leave No Trace aspect of Rocktoberfest. Please note the second to the last LNT climbing guideline.

Plan ahead and prepare

■Find out what the local rules and regulations are before climbing.
■Intentionally disperse your activity by selecting more remote areas; avoid the most popular crags.
■Limit your group size to no more than 4-6 climbers.
■Know whose land you are climbing on and what rules govern the property.
■Camp and travel on durable surfaces. Follow established trails to reach the rock.
■Where no trails exist, spread out on durable ground, such as rock or gravel to avoid creating new paths.
■Choose a campsite at least 300 feet from water, trails, clifflines, and rock shelters.
■Do not camp under rock shelters or at the base of climbs.
Pack It In, Pack It Out
■Please pick up trash when you find it. All food wastes, including fruit cores and peels, should be carried out.
■Discarded tape and cigarette butts are unsightly. Bring a small plastic bag in your pack for trash and pack it out.
■Properly dispose of what you can't pack out. Use toilets where available.
■If toilets aren’t available, urinate away from vegetation, climbing routes, streams and trails.
■Dispose of solid human waste in a "cathole" at least 200 feet away from trails, the bases of climbs, water sources, or campsites; carry your own trowel for this reason.
■Pack out your toilet paper in resealable plastic bags. Leave what you find.
■Avoid trampling vegetation at bases of climbs and clifflines.
■Avoid disturbance to all living things on cliffs (plants, lizards, salamanders, snakes, pack rats, bats, or nesting birds).
■Do not cut, prune, or remove trees, shrubs, or vegetation to improve a climb.
■Cliff bases have been the sites of occupation by humans for centuries. Do not dig or collect artifacts. Archaeological sites are protected by Federal law.
Minimize use and impact of fires
■Fire rings and pits at the base of any cliff are unacceptable. Campfires contaminate cultural resource sites, making carbon-14 dating inaccurate.
■Use a stove instead of a fire for cooking.
Minimize climbing impacts
■Chipping or creating new holds is not acceptable.
■Use removable protection and natural anchors wherever practical.
All new fixed anchor and bolt installation must receive prior approval of the Cumberland District Ranger.
■Motorized drills are prohibited in the Clifty Wilderness area.
■Use slings when rappelling from trees instead of rappelling with ropes directly around the tree trunk. Choose natural colors for slings if slings must be left behind.
■Minimize chalk use and clean chalk off where you climb. Help out on local chalk clean-up days.
■Remember you are in the forest, not in a gym; keep the noise level within reason--from the volume of your stereo to the words you let fly when you fail on that red-point attempt.
■Keep your dog restrained on at least a 6-foot leash.

Author: Recreation Staff
Last Updated: December 22, 2008