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Chockstone Forum - Accidents & Injuries

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Topic Date User

Climber hit by Lightning - Pierces Pass 5-Jan-2011 At 11:14:41 AM Mark R

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Hey Wendy... let me know when you need one and you can borrow mine (you know the number). I have a GPS enabled EPIRB and its awesome... for remote hiking, mountain routes (not all), rafting remote rivers in far off lands (not that thats my thing)...

BUT

Its not particularly small or light (and it is as small and light as 406with GPS comes). I wouldnt want to carry it on something hard (where weight counts and a day pack is unlikely to make the cut)... but thats where I might need it most. I wouldnt want to carry it on most multi pitches lets face it. It could be clipped to a harness (its lighter than approach shoes... but Ill only carry those if I REALLY have to), but would be easily damaged and has the obvious issue of not being able to be activated by a seriously injured person (ie unconscious... and if youve just got a broken leg pony up and rap off... then crawl for a week until you collapse in someones pile of shit then write a book about it like Joe... actually you could easily end up in a pile of shit at Centenial Glen much as I love the place)... so what are you going to do... carry 2?? One for each climber? Perhaps just the belayer (but they could get smashed by a rock)... and before anyone goes on about awesome rescue skills allowing one member of the team to reach the injured party and use the EPIRB they have (yes, such awesome skills exist, but in most of the cases recently discussed Im going to go out on a limb and suggest no one was going to secure and escape the system, safely move to to the injured party using cunning trickery etc etc given that more than one have involved being rescued simply because they didnt want to spend a cold miserable night on the cliff waiting for daylight to then safely climb up/rap down...THIS IS NOT REFERRING TO THE LADS IN SAID LIGHTENING STRIKE EPIC... sounds like they managed themselves admirably).