Eldo accident reported in DC
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This is so sad. I keep running the possible scenarios through my head. Condolences to his family and friends. |
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Cases of ropes simply "breaking" from the impact of a fall are so rare as to be almost meaningless. Barring a sharp edge that might have cut or compromised the rope's strength, the braided strands of a kernmantle rope don't simply come apart no matter how big or traumatic a fall. So that rope will have to be inspected very carefully to determine what really happened. If the rope truly just blew apart, that's the worst new of all, save for the poor guy who was killed. Condolences for sure. |
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A name has been released and is in the Denver Post: |
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It's truly heart breaking to hear about this tragic accident. The climbers partners, family and friends have my very deepest condolences. Please post if there are any donations of any kind being made in lieu of flowers or what not. |
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I knew him, but not as a climber. He was a member of my co-housing community. He was an amazingly positive guy who truly helped his neighbors. He was vital, strong, smart and giving. My heart goes out to his wife and kids. |
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Ryando, don't let some of those comments get to you; we don't go around looking for insurance coverage and we don't judge anyone. I have no idea why those topics even came up and which doesn't affect them or this situation anyway; other than someone felt the overwhelming need to be a real prick at what really couldn't be a worse time for a family. |
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Those things that can happen to every one of us, as solo or lead climbers are always tragic and painful to all. |
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How terrible. My condolences to his friends and family. |
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Updated Story
The update gives a little more information about the climber, Joseph M. Miller Jr. Sounds like he was a great guy, my condolences to his friends and family. |
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my condolences to the family and friends |
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So sad. My thoughts to the family. |
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After the investigation is concluded, I hope RMR posts the findings as they have on occasion in the past. Very, very sorry to hear about this accident. |
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Ugg I agree Rich. Ropes don't break is a huge thing for me. I hope we get a report from RMR in appropriate time and I selfishly hope it points to something that might have prevented this accident. |
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Ryando Smithman wrote:[...]On another note, after reading the article, and the comments following, I must address the ignorance of some folks. Instead of pissing and moaning about "insurance" and "being stupid" (they referred to soloing, interesting how it was one of several accidents I've heard about not involving soloing), maybe they should take to mind that a man is now dead. I'm pretty sure there's a more important issue at hand here besides the money involved. Sorry for the rant folks, sometimes, though I'm not a violent person, I'd like to throw some people in front of a speeding tractor trailer.[...]Ryando, these people are trolls, people who get a kick about pissing people off on online forums and should be ignored at all times. They have nothing better to do than trying to piss people off to forget about their squalid lives. Ignore them, Ignore them, Ignore them!!! This is a tragic accident, condolences to his friend and family!! |
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I just read about Joseph. It sounds like he was a great guy and the kind of climber you like to have at the crag. What a tragic loss. Best wishes and condolences to his family, friends and the CMS. |
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What a tragedy. God bless his family and friends. Also, look forward to more info regarding possible equipment failure. |
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Clackmon, they're doing accident investigation - figuring out where the fall started, what pro held or failed, where Joseph was when the rope severed, and if anything in the vicinity could have caused it. I definitely appreciate them taking their time to figure this all out. |
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I was one of Joe Miller's good friends, and main climbing partners. I climbed with him almost every weekend between November of 2008 and January of 2010. Joe was the type of guy anyone would want to have around. His enthusiasm for life was infectious. Although it may seem to many that I only knew him for a short time, any climber will know that shared experiences climbing in the mountains create deep bonds that take decades to form on the ground. Such were the experiences and memories I shared with Joe. |
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Rich Farnham wrote:So sad. My thoughts to the family. Anyone know the belayer? Is someone checking in on him/her? I can't imagine watching something like this happen to my climbing partner. It would wreck me. To echo what others have said, I'm stunned that the rope cut. That is one of my biggest fears in climbing. This is the first time I've ever heard of a free-climbing cut rope during a fall. I've heard of things on big walls, aiding, jugging, etc. but never a standard lead fall.I agree, I hope someone is available to help the belayer through all of this. On a related note, there was a sadly similar fatal accident in Eldo in the mid 1980's; a local fell while leading a route on the Peanuts Wall, cutting completely through his rope. |
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Dave, I think you're referring to the accident that killed Kenny Black, and if I remember correctly it was a block that was pulled off (on an attempt at a new route) that cut his rope. (As opposed to the rope running over an edge.) |