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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Free Climbing claims 2 lives in Teton National Park
2015-08-24
[Daily Mail] Two women have died after falling 200ft while attempting a daring climb on a mountain in the Grand Teton National Park.

Tyler Strandberg, 27, and Catherine Nix, 28, who were both living in Jackson, Wyoming, were scaling a rocky ledge 11,500ft up when they plunged to their death.

Their friend Rebecca Anderson, 26, landed on another ledge after the fall and was rescued by park rangers after using her cell phone to call for help.

The National Park Service says the accident occurred around 11 am Saturday on the 12,300-foot Teewinot Mountain, the sixth-tallest peak in the Teton Range.

The three women were attempting to ascend the East Face of the mountain and were well off the preferred route when the two fell.
Here, use my cellie cam for the GWR shot.
The Park Service says they weren't using ropes at the time.
Humping all that extra gear is for sissies.
Anderson used her cell phone to reach the Teton Interagency Dispatch Center about 11:15 am on Saturday to report the accident.
If you're going to be stupid, you've simply got to be tough.
Posted by:Besoeker

#10  I hit a peak at 5.6 or 5.7 depending on the grader (The Pear, Lumpy Ridge, Co). Was nice and limber then got stocky. Not bad for a flatlander.

Anyways.

Did some looking, their approach was 3 to 4 (not some path), grade G (don't have to have protection, always recommended, always have a fn' helmet) seems the biggest problem there is snow pack (bad juju) and falling rock (really bad juju, especially in popular climbs), then got off trail (something bad happens, delays response, perhaps by hours).
Posted by: swksvolFF   2015-08-24 23:32  

#9  swksvolFF---I am of the same opinion as of you. I did rock climbing and mountaineering since I was 7 years old. My late father got into it and he gave back in instruction to new climbers coming into the sport. We did Yosemite, the Tetons, the Cascades, the Sierra, all over. One thing that I REALLY learned was managing risk, and developing good judgment. Those skills have served me all my life.

There was a very talented Austrian climber named Hermann Buhl. He did some serious high altitude technical climbs solo. When he got to some hairy pitches, he just hung a rope on him for confidence.

Well Hermann finally fell off a solo climb and died. We kids made a song about him to the tune of the Coaster's hit, "Charley Brown"

Hermann Buhl, he's a fool
That Hermann Buhl, he's a fool
He's gonna get creamed
Just you wait and see
"Why's the Great Belayer always pickin' on me?"
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2015-08-24 20:04  

#8  It's called free-climbing. It's not for dilettantes. Especially where they were climbing. Posted by: Pappy


Hence the title. An insane undertaking that should be accompanied with a very large CASH BOND for costly recovery of body parts and clean-up.
Posted by: Besoeker   2015-08-24 15:33  

#7  Humping all that extra gear is for sissies.

It's called free-climbing. It's not for dilettantes. Especially where they were climbing.
Posted by: Pappy   2015-08-24 15:16  

#6  I credit a lot of who I am today, physically and mentally, to the rock climbing I did as a youth. Its no joke, even with the safety equipment.

Hard to tell if they were stupid (getting way outside their skill set), unlucky (weather shift/wind gust), or unfortunate (risks of the activity).

I will say this - if you are 10' off the ground and are there to not die, get off the rock. You must be there to live.

It is amazing there is a survivor, and that her phone worked.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2015-08-24 14:44  

#5  Darwin clearly prefers people who make snarky comments from the comfort of their own home.
Posted by: AuburTom   2015-08-24 13:12  

#4  Think of it as evolution in action
Posted by: Silentbrick   2015-08-24 12:43  

#3  At least they died doing what they enjoyed doing. Condolences to the families.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2015-08-24 12:31  

#2  Two out of three ain't bad. Darwin wins again.
Posted by: regular joe   2015-08-24 10:28  

#1  the accident
Stupid is as Stupid does.
Posted by: Skidmark   2015-08-24 10:12  

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