Accident at Sunset Rocks

Can anybody provide me with additional details re: the July 27 accident at Sunset Rocks?

FALL ON ROCK
Tennessee, Sunset Rock, Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park
The park received a report of a serious fall and injury to a male (23) climber beneath Sunset Rock in the park’s Lookout Mountain area on the evening of July 27th. He’d fallen 50 feet, landing on a hiking trail. Responding park and local rescuers treated his injuries and began a carryout up to the rim of Sunset Rock. He was air-lifted that evening to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga with non-life-threatening injuries – a dislocated shoulder and a shattered left foot.
Source: John McCutcheon, Supervisory Park Ranger

A. Attarian

Glad he's going to be ok.

Sunset Top-Ropping, man, that's terrible.

The climbing scene in Chatty is very booming. Working at the only gear shop in town, I regularly sold the essentials for top-roping to novice climbers.

Sunset is the only area in town convenientfor top-ropoing, but there are only a few routes you can get to the anchors for. By and large, they're all very difficult and you have to lean over the cliff line to reach the anchors. I've been running up there and had my gut in my throat watching teenagers leaning over the edge. It's a miracle that there aren't more accidents.

I HIGHLY encourage any novice climbers in Chattanooga to contact my best friend Jim Arnold at Rocky Top Guides he's the best possible instructor in the city for beginner climbers.

I very rarely post on any climbing forum but for someone who is a Chattanooga local, climbed for over 20 years, and knows the history of the area I feel something needs to be cleared up.

The "toprope" anchors at Sunset rock were not installed to be that. They were installed by volunteers, the SCC, and help from the Park Service to cut down on issues that were endangering climbing to the Park. Prior to the anchors climbers had been topping out on climbs and rigging to trees at the top of the cliffline and running lines across hiking trails. This was interfering with hikers, the cliff ecology, and the primary reason for the Parks existence (its a National Battlefield primarily, recreation secondary). A huge portion of Sunset Rock proper (One-Ten down to More Fun with Dick and Jane) was closed to climbing due to these reasons. The members of the SCC (which was in its beginnings) and local climbers went to bat to keep the Park open. Their diligence and hard work payed off and thus we can climb at Sunset today. We still have a section of cliff that is closed but with the give and take of negotiations I feel we did OK.
The anchors at Sunset were intended to be belay/lower anchors. That means a climber leads the route, has the option of either building his anchor to bring up his partner or building an anchor and lowering off and belaying from the bottom while his partner cleans the route, cleans the anchor and rappels to the ground. It is not easy to reach the anchors from the clifftop. That was somewhat intentional. Attempting to clip some of these anchors from the top is risky at best. Remember lots of folks put a lot of work into getting this place the way it is. Lets not do something silly and give them a reason to regret that decision.

Don't read this and think that I'm saying that toprope climbers and beginners don't have any place to go, or that I'm saying that beginners are not welcome at Sunset. I merely want to be a voice of experience and education.

It is a fact that there are not too many locations for beginners to toprope routes. The Cumberland Plateau escarpments make finding areas for this difficult. When found there may be land owner issues, not trails to top, or many hazards of loose rock and long falls awaiting. But believe me safe places do exist. Send me a PM and I'll be glad to tell you several.

As far as training. Find it, learn it, and use it. Guides are a wealth of knowledge. I am an AMGA Certified Rock Instructor and have been for quite some time. Although I am not currently working full-time as a guide I will always point someone seeking experience in the right direction. Always hire experienced guides with professional training.

Enough of my soapbox and my once a year post.

Rod Thomas
AMGA Certified Rock Instructor
Granite Arches Climbing School

He was lead climbing, blew some gear and decked not sure where top roping got into this. He was new to trad climbing per his partner, nice couple guys just made some bad decisions.