Matt Horner

Anyone know what happened?? anyways post and share on FB. every little bit helps. this could be any of us. gofundme.com/matthew-horner

From the GoFundMe page:

"Matt had an ice climbing accident Feb 8, 2017, at Chapel Pond near Keene Valley. He fell 60 feet and suffered severe injuries. He was first taken to Elizabethtown Community Hospital, then transported via helicopter to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, VT. His injuries include a 2cm brain hemorrhage, a severe concussion, multiple fractures in his face (a La Fort fracture), and soft tissue injuries to his right wrist, left knee, and hip."

That picture is sobering to say the least. Hopefully Matt makes a full recovery.

I feel like I've heard about more big falls this year than the previous two seasons combined. Maybe I'm just paying more attention these days.

Matt is one of the most respected ice climbers on the East Coast and a true embassadore to the sport by sheer inspiration. Here a link to Mathew Horner's Recovery Fund at GoFundMe.com:

gofundme.com/matthew-horner

Check out Matthew Horner's work here (if you don't want to donate, you could buy some of his awesome work. Matt is a Giant of an ice climber and considered one of the best. As an artist he is the real deal. He works with natural stone that he finds in rivers and mountains in his home range, The Adirondacks
. matthornerstonework.com/wp/

Nick Goldsmith wrote:Anyone know what happened??

He was topping out a tall ice climb at Chapel Pond and fell near the top. As I understand it, his fall was held by a high screw, but with all the rope out, he fell quite a ways, impacting ledges.

Jamie Cunningham wrote:...if you don't want to donate, you could buy some of his awesome work

Great idea! I own several of his works and they are among my most treasured possessions. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait for Matt to recover a bit before he can sell them.

Local [living] legends Tom Yandon and Matt Horner.

Another image of Horner, this time with Joe Szot.

Horner (belaying) and the late Joe Szot on a new route at Deer Leap, Lake George.

Hope he has a fast recovery... his artwork is stunning. I don't see prices but i'm pretty sure I can't afford it.

hope he heals quickly and well. I suspect most of us are not really aware of how long a fall might be when there is a lot of rope in the system.. certainly I suspect the averadge 2nd has no clue of what they are really in for when seconding 60 and 70m pitches at the lake on a single strand of 7.7mm ice floss. A Top rope fall early in those situations will result in a monster fall.

Nick Goldsmith wrote:hope he heals quickly and well. I suspect most of us are not really aware of how long a fall might be when there is a lot of rope in the system.. certainly I suspect the averadge 2nd has no clue of what they are really in for when seconding 60 and 70m pitches at the lake on a single strand of 7.7mm ice floss. A Top rope fall early in those situations will result in a monster fall.

Best wishes to the injured climber. Beautiful sculpture! I will hit the fund on a March paycheck.

Nick, I am not an ice climber, but still care about those who are starting into it. Briefly, how so? On the face of it, seconding seems reasonable.

Best, OLH

often at the Lake (lake Willoughby) the pitches are a full 60 or even 70m It is common to use the guide mode belay devises and bring up 2 seconds at the same time each climbing on a single strand of skinny half rope. usually 7.7 to 8.6mm A fall by the 2nd with even 30m of half rope out on steep terrain can result in a lot of rope stretch and a much bigger fall than expected. A fall on 60m of skinny half rope could easily result in a 30 footer if there was even a bit of slack in the system and there is garuenteed to be slack in the system with 60m of rope out running through screws and perhaps even traversing a time or two. Also bringing up two 2nds at the same time its harder to keep them both snug all the time.. many folks are clueless to how big the fall will actually be should someone actually test the belay...

Rope stretch for a leader fall with 40, 50 or 60m of rope out will be even more dramatic especially if there is traversing involved.. It will not be like a typical cragging/sport fall with 15 or 20m of rope in the system.

half ropes are only tested with 55kg weight so a male climbers 150-200lbs could go for a longer ride. I had the person next to me peel on the Prom and probobly only 30m from the anchor and it was pretty damn freaky. he went flying by me spinning in space... Not a big fan of simo following on steep terrain. sorry for the thread drift.

Shocked to hear of this accident. Am I missing something (giving all a fast read)...with all the discussion of rope stretch and followers...did Matt fall while following someone else?

That artwork is supreme... Damn ... Sad news about this terrible fall.

No, just thread drift. He fell leading near the top of a long pitch. Rope stretch contributed to the length of the fall.

Matt is a top-notch ice climber, one of the best in our little region. He's also an amazing artist. Here's a video showcasing some of his work:

Video of Matt's Stone Work.

I've not yet met Matt, although I've noted seeing his face at both the KV Mountainfest followed by the MWV-Icefest time and again.

Cheers for a speedy/strong recovery.

It will be interesting to hear from you once you've recovered.

Everyone be safe out there!

Jim Lawyer wrote:Matt is a top-notch ice climber, one of the best in our little region. He's also an amazing artist. Here's a video showcasing some of his work: Video of Matt's Stone Work

An example of Matt's vision. From the link to His gallery

if you donate you get updates. the update that I just read it sounds like a bunch of surgeries and neuro stuff and that he may not be able to work for perhaps a full year??