Boulder Canyon Fatal Accident

My condolences to all involved and touched.

Having had some SAR experience

@L Kap, To add for emergency signaling: 

A whistle is heard much farther than a shout.

A flashing light (headlamp SOS mode) is seen exceptionally well in the dark and shadows, also from the air.

Look into "Psychological First Aid" 

Sarah Z wrote:

One thing about Marc- he was so inclusive. He didn’t care if you had one day of experience or 7,000 he would walk you through the system and teach you. If I learned something new he would sit and watch, learn the system, and thank me for teaching him.  

My deepest condolences to you, Sarah, and Marc's family and friends. 

I don't know why, but those few words left a deep impression on me. I don't know Marc, but I am learning from him. Thank you Marc for showing me an example of a good human. RIP.

Thank you both Sarah and L Kap for sharing such a terrible and painful experience in such detail here. The human element is often missing from accident reports, and stories like this really help to understand a little bit about what it’s like when things go terribly wrong. Stories like this bypass all of the mental defenses and lies we tell ourselves about how “this could never happen to me.” That’s a valuable reminder even outside of any practical insights or knowledge.

He sounds like an incredible guy, the descriptions of him were very moving, and I find myself sad despite having never known him in any capacity. So sorry for you both, wish you all the best.

Marc frequented the shop I worked at in Boulder (BSR) the entire time I worked there. He was always easy to talk to, kind and earnest. He invited me out to do some RMNP climbs he had permits for, but I never made it out with him. We both loved Eldo and would talk often about it. When I saw this thread, saw the name Marc (with a c), then finally saw a photo, exclaimed "NO!" out loud to myself. To me he was, is, one of those Boulder staples, front range characters that you always expect to be out there, or bumping elbows with around town, and that you are always glad to see. From our conversations, and reading comments on here, and having explored his MP years ago, I know he was a climber with an incredible amount of experience, and who covered so much ground, explored so many beautiful spots. 

I'm so sorry for the loss, to those close to him, or that knew him, to all his family and friends. It sounds like a really rough day, with the kids there and supposed to be a fun, low risk day out. At least he was out doing what he loved most. And the fact he was trying to leave no trace speaks to his character. RIP Marc, you were always a pleasure to speak with. 

Bb Cc wrote:

My condolences to all involved and touched.

Having had some SAR experience

@L Kap, To add for emergency signaling: 

A whistle is heard much farther than a shout.

A flashing light (headlamp SOS mode) is seen exceptionally well in the dark and shadows, also from the air.

Look into "Psychological First Aid" 

https://www.mhfaco.org/

Colorado will do community trainings on Mental Health First aid free. 

Sarah Z wrote:

https://www.mhfaco.org/

Colorado will do community trainings on Mental Health First aid free. 

Psychological First Aid Link https://www.ptsd.va.gov/disaster_events/for_providers/psychological_first_aid.asp

Free Pdf   ptsd.va.gov/disaster_events…

There was a time when my friend Beth and I would run into Mark out in the Badger Mountain area. It was always a pleasure and a fun time was in the cards. 

Damn.  So sad to read this.  This can happen to ANY of us.  We all gotta lock it down when scrambling.  Condolences. 

Sarah Z wrote:

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At approximately 3:15 Marc Horan went to grab a coke can that had escaped our group. I headed down trail and together we scrambled up the pile of rocks circled in yellow. Marc visualized the can, and I scrambled right and up stating “meet you up there, this area is kind of slick.” I scrambled up and around the top of this formation,  heard what I thought at the time to be a car door slamming and in retrospect it was the sound of Marc striking the ground. After approximately 5 minutes when he did not appear, I commented to a member of the group that he was past the expected time and I went to search him. He was wearing a red coat, and I visualized that he was likely deceased after calling his name with no response. I saw that he had struck a rock with an approximate 20 foot fall. He had no carotid pulse, our group was 4 adults(including Marc) and two younger children at this time. I called to another group member SOS, and she activated her Garmin to dispatch EMS at that time. I brought both children down to the base while the remaining two adults began chest compressions. He was pronounced deceased when SAR arrived. Marc was an extremely experienced climber with nearly 30 years of climbing experience under his belt. He frequently would stop in Eldo for an afternoon to do laps on the wind tower, an accomplished aid climber, multipitch cruiser, simul climbing, and offwidth princess, Marc did it all. We will never know what caused the fall, but I know he absolutely died doing what he loved. We had a love unlike anything I have ever known. I would pontificate more, but I’m shattered. denver7.com/news/front-rang…

I am returning to post an updated accident report in order to better understand the risks of complacency in the easy tasks. Returning to the scene of the accident (prior to precipitation) I visualized a slanted ledge approximately two feet in width that cut across to an area with debris, bushes, loose rocks, and dirt. The trash was slightly above this on a relatively unstable block. As the can was found on Marc's person, he did retrieve the can and started to leave the way he came- on the ledge. There were broken branches and disrupted dirt that indicated this to be accurate. Marc was comfortable in that terrain so the best guess is he was attempting to traverse the ledge with his back to the wall and was facing out over the cliff. There were no signs of blood, skin, clothing on the cliff itself. He did not tie his shoes, and as one shoe was missing and both shoes were untied this was confirmed. He dislodged a rock (the rock was located face down with fresh green grass underneath,) and best guess is his left foot slipped, as he was facing out there was no opportunity for self arrest. He flipped over and landed chest down, shattering his rib cage (amongst other injuries including a skull fracture.) There are several take aways from this- complacency kills people, and never assume terrain stability, especially in the spring months. Marc had a high level of confidence in unroped climbing, and that led to some level of complacency in non technical climbing, scrambling, traversing, etc. We see at least one of these slip and fall types of death every season, we as climbers take these risks time and time again. Growing comfortable in this terrain is a natural progression, but complacency does not need to be part of our narrative. Although a helmet would not have mattered in this situation, wearing one can absolutely save your life. I have created the "helmet zone" with my youngest and will apply the same rule to myself. You put on a helmet, and take it off when you are done and walking down the established trail. Second takeaway is to tie your shoes or ensure your shoe is tight fitting enough that a slip will not cause it to come off of your foot. In any given situation a mm of extra traction or friction can be the difference between a life altering event and an oh sh*t I almost died. If the terrain looks unstable and you are uncertain about entering the terrain, back off, you can always spend 5 extra minutes abseiling into a situation safely. Regarding the response to the accident, carry a satellite messaging device whenever you expect to be in a spotty service area. Modern cell phones have this capability as well. In times of emergency response there will always be a leader who initiates the sos, delegates duties, etc.; if that's not you your job is to take direction whatever that is. I will be teaching a self-rescue course specific to mental health resiliency, and response to when things go wrong. Take a course on how to become mentally prepared for crisis in addition to taking a course on first aid in outdoor environments. Outside of this analysis, a deep understanding that every time we engage in the sport we love we are taking a calculated risk that only mitigates 90% of likely outcomes. The last 10% of risk is completely outside of our locus of control. I was told it is our habits that kill us, so encourage yourself to develop a safer routine while climbing, and avoid the trap of complacency. 

Thank you, Sarah.