Turkey Rocks accident

If you have concerns about safety in the area please reach out to the local climbing nonprofit in the area. The Pikes Peak Climbers Alliance, they work with the forest service and help manage the area. Turkey is a trad area and the local ethic is to not bolt when protectable by removable gear. Climbing accidents are a hazard of the sport, it is sad and tragic when the occur. The best best way to mitigate the risk is education. If anyone has information on what caused the failure please reach out to the PPCA and let them know what happens so this sort of thing can be taught in some of the free climbing clinics the teach.

Let say land managers decide that it's too dangerous to let climbers climb without fixed anchors on the Turkey Perch and surrounding crags. What would PPCA do then? Would they adhere to their ethic and chop bolts or they would abandon climbing there since it would be unethical? Speedy recovery to the injured climber.

Fehim Hasecic wrote:Let say land managers decide that it's too dangerous to let climbers climb without fixed anchors on the Turkey Perch and surrounding crags. What would PPCA do then? Would they adhere to their ethic and chop bolts or they would abandon climbing there since it would be unethical?

Quite possibly the most stupid and ill-informed post i have ever seen on Mtn Project.

Bolting the perch would be a knee jerk reaction to a unfortunate accident.
Thousands of people have safely used a large sling pinched underneath that massive boulder finished with a overhand without incident.
Saying that it sounds selfish to do the fact that someone got seriously fucked up and if chains were present that person would not be in the hospital. Human life is much more important than some contrived climbing ethics.
However there are plenty of accidents where chains exists. Climbing has inherent risk and we have measures to lower that risk such as bomber anchors and there are plenty of those at the perch.

Ron Pivo wrote: Quite possibly the most stupid and ill-informed post i have ever seen on Mtn Project.

Because?

BigFeet wrote: Was this human error

Yes. If you have a TR anchor fail for any reason other than being hit by a meteor, it's human error. Not that I'm blaming the victim--one of the hallmarks of being human is making mistakes. That's why the robots are taking over.

I'm glad the climber survived. Those are life-threatening injuries, but still not a bad outcome for doing a 50-footer onto the rocks. I hope his or her recovery goes as quickly as possible!

Fehim Hasecic wrote: Because?

Your lack of understanding of the close working realationship that the organization made up of climbers has with the rest of the climbing community.

Clarification/Update from group member/friend of the injured climber:

The gentlemen who fell is doing very well considering what happened and is expected to make a full recovery within 6-10 weeks. The injuries sustained include a fractured pelvis, a broken nose and facial bones, and some initial internal bleeding related to the pelvic fractures. The comments about "broken legs" are - thankfully - incorrect.

It is correct that the 2 point anchor above Honky Jam did fail and that it indeed did have 4-5 climbers lap/lower off of it before it failed. It is also correct that the anchor was comprised of a slung boulder and .3 which both blew. I did not personally see the anchor before it blew , but from what we've gathered, it is possible that the sling on the boulder walked up and rolled itself off first, then shockloaded the .3 which may or may not have been in a flare... Another contributing factor was that the crag was crowded that day, and an anchor had already been built atop Left Handed Jew (which basically shares an anchor spot with Honky Jam), further limiting good gear placements in an already difficult spot to build an anchor.

In this astonishingly lucky case, he was able to come out alive. The teamwork displayed by the SAR team, the EMTs, the Flight Team, the High Angle Rescue team, and especially the climbing community involved was beautiful, to say the least. The focus of the forum should be the well being of the gentlemen who nearly lost his life, and what we, as climbers, can do to learn from the this and how we pass on that knowledge.

I'm very surprised everyone talking about the Perch being hard to set a TR on, especially the top of LHJ. The top of that climb is a flat ledge with car sized boulders leaning against one another. Remember that safe is generally simple, which in this case means slinging the pinch between boulders. If you actually do find anchor building difficult here I recommend hiring a guide to show you the basics. That being said I'm glad the victim is recovering and I hope they forgive whoever built that anchor.

Also don't bolt the perch. There are reasons why the tail and parts of turkey proper have anchors. If anything the perch is a great place to practice building anchors.

Fehim Hasecic wrote: Because?

Because you apparently don't know that land managers have a duty to protect the resource, not the user. There is a long history in the U.S. related to wilderness and fixed anchors. Find out about it, and you'll understand why your post doesn't make sense.

Not to say that land managers don't think about safety issues. It's just that their first duty is to make sure that the resource is preserved for future generations. Turning the Perch into a toprope mecca does not serve this purpose. Nor should we as climbers be in the business of making our inherently dangerous activity safe for all. There is this thing called personal responsibility that attracted many of us to the outdoors and climbing in the first place.

Google "group size and decision making". This is a very important topic for a lot of life's situations. Unfortunately, human failings are built into all of us. Often these failings show up in groups larger than 4.

When I climb, even with new climbers, I ask them to inspect my anchors. They learn, I learn by teaching and perhaps they point out something useful because they have a clear perspective.

Unless you hire a guide, all members of a group are responsible for the anchor.

Brad White wrote: Because you apparently don't know that land managers have a duty to protect the resource, not the user. There is a long history in the U.S. related to wilderness and fixed anchors. Find out about it, and you'll understand why your post doesn't make sense. Not to say that land managers don't think about safety issues. It's just that their first duty is to make sure that the resource is preserved for future generations. Turning the Perch into a toprope mecca does not serve this purpose. Nor should we as climbers be in the business of making our inherently dangerous activity safe for all. There is this thing called personal responsibility that attracted many of us to the outdoors and climbing in the first place.

I stand corrected. I'm neutral on this matter, bolted anchors. Either way it doesn't matter to me. If they're available, sure, I'll use them. If not, well, it doesn't bother me a bit, I learned how to climb at similar place that adheres to same ethic, building anchors, SERENE anchors was a must. Maybe my question was a bit out of touch with reality, but I don't think that it's not impossible that in foreseeable future this ethic might change. Seeing how climbing is getting more popular, more accidents are unavoidable. So, it's either new climbers learn the craft or the community comes up with alternatives to prevent accidents from happening (which in itself is a pipe dream).

On behalf of the PPCA in light of the recent climbing incident at Turkey Rocks, first and foremost our thoughts go out to the injured climber as well as the fellow climbers, friends, and family who may have been affected. To our knowledge, it is suspected the anchor failure was due to a sling rolling off of a boulder shock loading a .3 BD Camelot. The injured climber is alive and is expected to recover within 6-10 weeks after breaking his pelvis and several facial bones. Also see post by Jordan Hirro for a firsthand account.

In support of our climbing community, we take this as a reminder of the need to be mindful when climbing, even in familiar or safe settings. Climbing is an inherently dangerous activity. Whenever going out to a remote location one should always have the appropriate contact information for the local county Search and Rescue (SAR). Be prepared to provide accurate information about the location and nature of the incident. Taking note of your GPS location prior to departing or upon arrival (cell phone apps such as Google Maps can provide you with this information) is highly encouraged to support a speedy rescue. Lastly, we strongly encourage receiving wilderness medical training to provide immediate care until professional assistance arrives, as rescues in the backcountry can take significantly longer due to the nature and location of climbing areas. Furthermore, cell phone service is often unavailable which can prolong rescue. Also see the Access Fund blog post on the subject here: opengate.org/access-fund-bl…

When building climbing anchors, it is critical to be cautious and redundant. There are many individuals, organizations and guiding companies who offer instruction and trainings on building proper anchors. Even bolted anchors can fail and are not guaranteed at all crags depending on the established climbing management plans. In regards to the conversation about adding bolted anchors at Turkey Perch, please reference the South Platte Climbing Management Plan developed by the US Forest Service (available on our website here: pikespeakclimbersalliance.o…)

The PPCA will be addressing several concerns brought to the forefront in light of this incident. We are currently in conversations to establish a landing zone closer to the base of Turkey Rocks. We are seeking help to publish a list of emergency beta for popular climbing areas in the Pikes Peak Region so this information is readily available. Conversations with local land managers and the Access Fund will continue regarding emergency action, access & evacuation plans. Our Education Committee offers clinics throughout the year on proper use of equipment, techniques in anchor building and other topics that are free and open to the public. Visit our website for upcoming clinics and encourage your climbing partners to join.

Bump for the above