Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - Accidents & Injuries

Report Accidents and Injuries

Topic Date User

Gear left at Belougery Spire abseil 12-Oct-2015 At 10:49:03 AM climberman

Message

On 12/10/2015 EACamp wrote:
>Hey all,
>Sorry for the tardy reply. Yes, climbing partner recovering with fractured
>sternum, vertebrae and severed ear. He's lucky indeed!
>The rusted old abseil point just below half way ledge has been replaced
>with new chain/ring. Making it possible to descend from Belougery in 2
>abseil a using a 60m rope.
>The accident occurred when my partner, in setting up the abseil miscalculated
>the rope lengths based off what he thought was the half way mark on the
>rope. He commented on how the lengths seemed uneven, then thinking that
>it was relatively short abseil it would be OK. No knots in the end, he
>began descending. In a flash the rope was screaming through the ring of
>the abseil and he was gone. It was dark so I couldn't ascertain exactly
>how far he'd fallen ( I had a head torch but not staring enough).
>I assumed it was a fatal fall as there was no response from him, just
>a gurgling laboured breathing. This stopped after five min. After another
>10 min the sound of rustling came from below, followed by moaning. He survived
>but mind in a bad way. We stayed put for the night (me at the abseil ledge,
>he at the base of the abeil). Unfortunately I didn't have a phone and the
>rope was down below with my mate!
>We called to one another through the night, ensuring my mare was conscious.
>His mind sharpening as time went on.
>At first light I assessed the terrain. Initially trying to climb up to
> what I thought was the half way ledge seemed a good idea. Below was too
>steep to down climb. Irradiated Ibadan enough gear to link it all together,
>anchoring it from the abseil ring to create a 'daisy chain' that would
>get me to a small tree growing from a crack below. I made it to the tree,
>secured the Daisy chain of gear. Then went backup to the abseil point above
>to release the top of the chain. By doing this it would now become the
>bottom of a chain secured to the tree. Monkeying down the makeshift Daisy
>chain got me tithe bottom of the abseil.
>I got to my mate and we decided to try and move him to the prominent pinnacle
>at Belougery, allowing easier emergency access and a cool gully for him
>to eat in in the meantime. It took an hour or more to get there through
>scrambling and setting up guiding ropes for him but we made it. Stashed
>water from the previous day was a saviour! I raced over to the hut and
>raised the alarm. Within 3 hours he was being choppered out. Parks, emergency
>chopper and volunteers were fantastic!

Fark.

Hope your mate recovers well physicaly and mentally, and you recover ok mentally also.