LCC Accident at Lizard Head

I just wanted to start a thread for information about the accident at Lizard Head yesterday (Sun, April 13). I was climbing near by and saw the helicopter extraction. 

It looks like there is a local news article also, but -- as usual -- it is clearly not written by a climber and doesn't add much clarity about what happened.  

https://ksltv.com/local-news/rescue-teams-helping-man-stuck-on-rock-wall-in-little-cottonwood-canyon/762881/

Thanks a ton to our SLC SAR team. You guys rock and make us all so much safer out in the mountains.

I have heard 2 different stories:

1. His arm/hand was stuck.

2. His leg was stuck in an inverted offwidth. 

We can work up a more meaningful accident report later, but just to provide a little bit of context and set the record straight.

Route was cashmere crack. I inverted for the off width section and got my knee jammed while upside down. Getting my knee out of the crack took several hours involving friends, SAR, haul systems, and a couple nalgenes of soapy water. At the u still being monitored for crush syndrome but hoping to get out of here tomorrow.

** Editing to add high level notes below, will post narrative from my perspective separately **
Route: Cashmere Crack at Lizard Head Wall
Problem: pinned knee in off-width while climbing inverted
Timeline: April 13th, 2025

• 1220 pinned in knee jam
• 1313 SAR called
• 1624 unstuck and then flown to University of Utah’s trauma center

Complicating factors:

• Climber pinned upside down
• Large roof made rope access from above difficult

Critical elements to rescue:

• Haul systems
• Soapy water
• Cut pants
• Coordination of resources/rescuers by SLC SAR team

Party experience levels:

• Eric (climber who got stuck)
  • About 10 years total climbing
  • Last 6 years split roughly 50/50 trad/sport with ~300 pitches outdoor per year
  • Off-width experience - been on a decent number of off-width pitches, hardest of which being bulletproof (13-, Farley Ledges, MA). I've worked through all the moves on lead but never sent. Beginning of that route for me involves climbing inverted on butterflies and foot cams.
• Mike (friend in climber's party)
  • Moderately experienced climber -- I may fill in more detail later
• Neah (friend in climber's party)
  • Moderately experienced climber -- I may fill in more detail later

This sounds like a nightmare. Glad you're ok

Didn't know the only options were crush or be crushed. Glad you're doing well, Eric!

I like how in the roughly six sentence article they contradict whether it was his hand or his leg lol

Not expecting them to be proficient in climbing terminology but....

that sounds horrible. one of the reasons i never really enjoyed invert ow is that scenario. i don't even really like being upside down for a couple seconds, much less long enough to get rescued.  ooof!

Did you shit your pants?

Eric, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the full report. 

Austin Shaver wrote:

Did you shit your pants?

He said he was upside down...

From SLC SAR:

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1071568735004296&id=100064535395120&rdid=WSgY6M3He3QDoh1V

Bb Cc wrote:

He said he was upside down...

So you’re saying we should ask if he shit his shirt?

JF M wrote:

So you’re saying we should ask if he shit his shirt?

Yes:) ! Although after the event you can still shirt your shit.

I should add that I had a friend get his knee stuck climbing, humour was a good way to pass the time with him, keeping the psych up while the sun set. A high redirect 3:1 with the haul team on the ground  and a rescue climber vectoring the pull at the "subject" ultimately popped him free. Next time he insisted I lead that pitch.

Best wishes and decades of story telling for "the subject"

Great photos on the Facebook report. I’m so glad they could get to you fast and help find a way to free your leg. Did someone have to go buy soap? 

Damn, what an awful ordeal. Thanks for the very thorough write up. Hope your recovery goes quickly. 

Damm. Happy to know you are alive!

Heal up 

So glad you were able to finesse your knee out. 4 hours stuck in an inversion, trying to avoid passing out while your knee is slowly crushed....that sounds truly hideous. Glad you made it out intact and without too much damage. Sounds like you and your friends did all you could do within the limits of experience and gear available and did not create more problems. Kudos to SLC SAR and all involved in the rescue. And big thanks to you, Eric, for sharing the story in such detail so that the community may learn. Best of luck in healing! 

Mike John-Paul wrote:

Keep in mind that Eric was also stuck upside down with his face purple, eyes bulging, screaming in pain, while on the verge of passing out. The accuracy of this "narrative" is quite construed. Not really sure if mountain project is meant for educational purposes, or it's used as a deflective diary to protect the fragile ego? 

I think we all got that from Eric's write-up. He was pretty clear that he was in tremendous pain and about to pass out. The write-up was helpful for understanding what he and his friends tried, and what the emergency response was. Not sure what point you're trying to make. We all have found ourselves in a jam or will at some point.