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Accident in SA? 29-Mar-2004 At 1:36:31 PM Garrath

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From the Advertiser:

Woman winched to safety after fall
By STUART MARTIN
29mar04

AN experienced rock climber was injured in a cliff-face fall at the Morialta Conservation Park yesterday.

The 21-year-old female rock-climber fell more than 15m from "The Buttress" just before midday.

The woman, described as experienced by other climbers, suffered a broken arm, neck and back pain when she fell into the Waterfall Creek valley.

The area is estimated at more than 300m deep.

Climbers assisting in her rescue said the woman had fallen at least 10m down a rock face and then rolled a further five or six metres down a steep embankment.

Emergency services were called by her climbing partner on his mobile phone from the cliff face.

Police, STAR group officers, ambulance and SES crews were assisted by other climbers who rushed to the cliff face to help.

Sergeant Steve Thalborne said it appeared the woman had fallen as a result of equipment failure.

The woman was stabilised at the base of the cliff but needed to be winched out of the difficult terrain, accessible only on foot.

Strong winds and rough terrain forced the helicopter pilot to make three passes through and around the valley before the first attempt at hovering was made.

A second and more successful attempt was made at a higher altitude, when an ambulance paramedic was winched down to the stricken climber with two packs of equipment.

A STAR group officer was winched down a short time later to assist in the recovery. The woman and paramedic were winched out of the gully and taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Fellow rock climber Garry Heddle, 32, of Flagstaff Hill, said it was an equipment failure that resulted in the 15m fall.

"It was an unfortunate accident," he said. "She's quite experienced at this sport. She'd been climbing in Victoria last week and was heading back there next week, but not now."

The woman is listed as serious but stable.

I noted from TV footage last night that she was wearing a helmet.