East Ridge of Wolf's Head peak Accident Report July-6-2022

You said there were two cords on the anchor. Both of them broke? Or was it two non-independent strands of the same cord wrapped around? If truly two independent cords actually broke, then that is really sobering. I can’t count of the number of times I’ve probably rapped off of something I couldn’t inspect super well, justifying it’s probably ok  because there are two (or more) independent cords and the likelihood of multiple ones breaking would be astronomically small.

I rapped off wolfs head last year ...there were new bolted raps

though we did not rap off true summit

Down climbed and climbed two more pitches ( traversing )

As I recall the bolts were installed after an accident 

I could be wrong

Best wishes for a full recovery from your injuries 

Peace

Edit: just looked at the rte  description ... Says there are new bolts ( maybe hard to see)

Also Bill Pullman logged in and had a comment ( a correction on the FA ) he is 83!

Horrifying!  Glad you survived it.  Best wishes for your recovery.

alpinist 47wrote:

I rapped off wolfs head last year ...there were new bolted raps

though we did not rap off true summit

Down climbed and climbed two more pitches ( traversing )

As I recall the bolts were installed after an accident 

I could be wrong

Best wishes for a full recovery from your injuries 

Peace

Edit: just looked at the rte  description ... Says there are new bolts ( maybe hard to see)

Also Bill Putnam logged in and had a comment ( a correction on the FA ) he is 83!

Reading the description, there are bolts up top, not on any of the other raps. As memory serves (because of the anecdote of having service), you rappel from a cove-like structure and it is difficult to inspect the back end as has been alluded to previously. I remember the final rappel being extremely sketchy and having to rappel off of a block that was moving as there wasn't much better. For an alpine area that is prone to storms and has a benefit of moving quickly, I would think there would be a big benefit to having actual chains to rap off of. 

Rappeled this route on 8/14/22 during a storm. We made as short of rappels as possible between ledges to avoid pulling ropes over loose rock. Bolts up top. Two of the anchor stations were equipped with very nice new teal blue rope and rings. And then there were a few others with the normal rat's nest of tat. I had the same trouble as Alex inspecting the anchor on the final rappel we made before walking towards the Overhanging Tower col (we rapped one more time into the col). A new blue piece of webbing was amongst others. The nature of the feature made it very hard to rotate the pieces of tat to inspect them. I used my hands and fingers to best explore around the constrictions of the rock I could. 

The bolts off the top rappel got the descent started off on the right foot, and I think it'd be pretty incredible to see the rest of the descent get the same treatment. Large numbers of climbers will still visit this route regardless of the descent anchors. Why not install long-term sustainable anchors on such a high traffic route? The Winds will never have a shortage of adventurous routes, and harrowing descents littered with tat for those who feel strongly opposed to the hardware. Skip ‘em if you don’t like them.

Will happily donate money to the cause if anyone is up to the task. My own free time and bolting experience is limited. 

alpinist 47wrote:

Also Bill Putnam logged in and had a comment ( a correction on the FA ) he is 83!

I think you mean Bill Plummer. Bill Putnam (of AAC fame) passed away in 2014.

Heal up buddy! Glad you're still with us. Sounds like you'll be mobile by winter, I'll set the booter for ya and even carry your snacks and water. or go for mellow walks, whichever.

I haven't climbed that route, but if there were bolted rap anchors my friend and I would be romping in the sierra this summer instead of sitting in a hospital lucky to be alive.

Climbing should be exciting, rapping should be boring.

Alex has as much experience on alpine rock as anyone. If it can happen to him, it can happen to you.

Some pics of Alex crushing

Thanks for sharing this report Alex, very sorry to read about your accident. I hope your recovery goes well.

I did this descent a week ago and recall that I was also unable to assess the backside of the tat on the last rappel because it was wedged behind a chock or something. This could happen to any of us and when the new tat wears out it will happen again. Pingora has a terrific new bolted rappel route, there's no reason the Wolf's Head tat shouldn't be replaced with bolts as well so that this doesn't have to happen again.

A big thanks to everyone for the well wishes, and thanks for the pics Danny.

Sounds like ill be atleast weight bearing on all exterminates by Sept. and then a bunch of PT and strength training to learn to walk again and regain all the atrophied muscle.

...they will likely send you a ridiculous bill ($70-80k).   ...There's new federal legislation effective Jan 1, 2022 that's intended to prevent this type of abuse.

@ Sam and Martin:  Im still waiting to see all the bills roll in, but thanks for the heads up on the lawyer.  I Do recall being told about some new bill while i was in the hospital, so fingers crossed it works as intended.

When does the bolt discussion start? Ratty tat breaking backs, vs titanium glue in...

Prior, to my own recent accident, i have been in the team that favors a nice pair of stainless rap rings of a collection of random cord, and events at Jtree this past winter seem to support the installation of more permanent and resilient rap options at our increasingly popular climbing destinations, The day before my accident we had climbed Pingora, and we used the new 4 bolted rappel decent off the south face, and it was straight forward and easy, and let plenty of parties move fast and efficient.

I'm strongly considering carrying a small hand drill and a few bolts and rings in the future,  as Ive encountered plenty of other decent routs very similar to wolfs head that with hindsight and recent experiences could be improved.

I rapped off wolfs head last year ...there were new bolted raps, though we did not rap off true summit, Down climbed and climbed two more pitches ( traversing )

@ Alpinist 47: I did see  that bolted rap referred to in some of the MP comments, it seems like this rap route are the belays of the new 5.12/5.13s on the south face of wolfs head.  I was keeping an eye  out for this rap route while climbing the east ridge, but i didn't notice it.  So it was an easy choice to go with the standard descent from the summit, who's first 2 raps were obvious.

two cords on the anchor. Both of them broke? Or was it two non-independent strands of the same cord wrapped around? If truly two independent cords actually broke, then that is really sobering.

There was an orange and a green cord with 2 AL rings connecting both cords.  the cords were both the same lenght, and both wrapped around and jamed in the same rock features.  Given the geometrey i suspect that both cords were damaged in the same manner via the same process.

For those wondering about the cord integrity, if the cords otherwise looked good, it's possible that rodents chewed on it somewhere hard to inspect. I had the misfortune of discovering this once when the rap anchor snapped, but was lucky enough to slip and not really go anywhere. I could've just as easily ended up in the OP's position. I now also look for mouse droppings when I'm inspecting fixed tat.

Best wishes on the recovery, Alex!

Benton Hodgeswrote:

 Skip ‘em if you don’t like them.

I don't disagree with the thought of bolting this rap route on Wolf's head.  I just wanted to comment and say that the phrase I quoted is BS.  Lets not act like the route is only partially changed and people should still stick to the 'old school' option if they don't like it.  The nature of the decent, and the route itself by extension, is completely changed.  I am fine with that change. 

Martin le Rouxwrote:

I think you mean Bill Plummer. Bill Putnam (of AAC fame) passed away in 2014.

You are most correct... 

thank you for the correction 

shredwardwrote:

I don't disagree with the thought of bolting this rap route on Wolf's head.  I just wanted to comment and say that the phrase I quoted is BS.  Lets not act like the route is only partially changed and people should still stick to the 'old school' option if they don't like it.  The nature of the decent, and the route itself by extension, is completely changed.  I am fine with that change. 

Perhaps poor wording. I’m fine with that change as well. Not sure what else to say that would appease those against bolting the rap route. Embrace the change? 

40 years of  being  told and  relying on the  myth that two independent  strands of tat will  not  fail at the same time...

I'd like to chime in, with no disrespect to the accident or anyone's suggestions.   It was the cords that failed, not the physical feature the cords were attached to.  Thus, there's no conclusion to be drawn that bolted rap anchors are needed.  A person can add his/her own before rapelling if he/she can't verify the condition of rappel cords or doesn't like the looks of them.   One can even cut the old ones.   Basically you can (and maybe should?) rap off only your own stuff if you want 100% assurance of the condition of what you're rapping off.

Just in terms of embracing sustainability I would vote for rap anchors to replace tat every single time. (I'm talking about the recycling, keeping unnecessary trash out of landfill type of sustainability).

 Stating that everyone should be rappelling with lots of extra cord and a knife, cutting and tying new anchors every time just seems like poor practice for a community that pretends to care about the environment. Also, stop using straws at restaurants, come on, be an adult.   

"Old school BS attitude" -- wow thanks so that's how you describe views that you don't agree with?   Anyway there's always something to be said for a true wilderness climbing experience, where hardware is either nil or extremely limited.  I mean think about it, the Gunks didn't even have bolted raps until fairly recently.   

Nick Goldsmith wrote:

Russ. Old school BS attitude.  On trade routes there is no good argument against replacing tat rappel stations with bolted stations if the terrain allows it.  tat is unsightly and even the cool kids die when it fails. 

I believe there is middle ground when it comes to this issue. Most everyone immediately thinks replace the tat with a bolted station. Which depending on the land designation, namely wilderness can be problematic. For years I have advocated replacing slung tat with galvanized steel cable. Cable will not permanently alter the rock per say and will last just as long as bolts.

It's a 50s classic that gets climbed everyday of the season, not a remote peak that sees one ascent a year. Nobody is hiking into the winds because they just love rapping off tat, it's simply a chore that must be done to get down after the fun part is over.

I replace a lot of anchors. With lead bolts I totally agree that the style of the route should not be changed if possible- preserving the experience for a lead climber is important. 

I don't think that tat-based rap routes need to be preserved as such. If there is a de facto 'permanent' (or recurring?) anchor that is getting a lot of use, it should become a reliable, durable anchor. That means stainless bolts (or sometimes titanium) .