Man Dies Swinging From Utah Rock Arch

its very close to 20 million now ... an extra 3 million in the last few days

interestingly enough, i think that the publicity will make it more likely that more people will try it ...

i dont remember seeing any warnings about "professionals only, do not try this without help" on the youtube page or the vid ...

with 20 million views, the owner of the vid is likely making more than chump change ...

It's not his job to make the planet "safe" for others.

If anyone else is going to risk themselves and rig up some bullshit system, then they accept their own consequences.

Buff Johnson wrote:It's not his job to make the planet "safe" for others. If anyone else is going to risk themselves and rig up some bullshit system, then they accept their own consequences.

and other people who get hurt who have nothing to do with it accept the consequences as well ...

note that some girl almost got brained by the "test" bag

What a tragic loss, back up and double check people. Sad.

Wow. Very sorry for those affected by this tragedy. Accidents happen to people of all skill levels, so casting dispersions at anyone, especially in an instance like this, is an unmistakable indication of the quality of your character. I actually signed on to express my unchecked feelings toward the human garbage that jump at the chance to be forum heroes. Its bullshit.

John Husky wrote:Wow. Very sorry for those affected by this tragedy. Accidents happen to people of all skill levels, so casting dispersions at anyone, especially in an instance like this, is an unmistakable indication of the quality of your character. I actually signed on to express my unchecked feelings toward the human garbage that jump at the chance to be forum heroes. Its bullshit.

do you hate Darwin and his theories as well? this was not a child.

This was a circus stunt that had next to nothing to do with climbing. Kind of like "Human cannonball overshoots landing net and dies--details at eleven on NewsFirst!"

Fall Guy wrote: do you hate Darwin and his theories as well? this was not a child.

Emotional reactions to Darwin and age of majority have nothing to do with this. If you've climbed long enough, hell, if you've LIVED long enough, there have been many instances where sheer luck kept you off the mortician's slab for some imprudent action, and out of the internet forums for some jackass to suggest your genes' didn't pass misinformed muster.

All the scientific theory and bullshit ad hoc examples for determinism based on deficiency are poor armor against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune to which any adventurer subjects themselves to. To disparage this young man's legacy and worth for a single instance of miscalculation, clouded no doubt by spirited enthusiasm, is cowardly and demonstrative of a spiritual shallowness.

Good luck to all you who shroud yourselves in the belief that something like this could never happen to you because you're so smart, or possessed of superior genes. Take it to Vegas.

EDIT: We all make mistakes when we're young, some survive the learning curve, some don't. There but for the grace of whatever go all of us...

Clifton Santiago wrote: Emotional reactions to Darwin and age of majority have nothing to do with this. If you've climbed long enough, hell, if you've LIVED long enough, there have been many instances where sheer luck kept you off the mortician's slab for some imprudent action, and out of the internet forums for some jackass to suggest your genes' didn't pass misinformed muster. All the scientific theory and bullshit ad hoc examples for determinism based on deficiency are poor armor against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune to which any adventurer subjects themselves to. To disparage this young man's legacy and worth for a single instance of miscalculation, clouded no doubt by spirited enthusiasm, is cowardly and demonstrative of a spiritual shallowness. Good luck to all you who shroud yourselves in the belief that something like this could never happen to you because you're so smart, or possessed of superior genes. Take it to Vegas. EDIT: We all make mistakes when we're young, some survive the learning curve, some don't. There but for the grace of whatever go all of us...

Very well stated. BTDT when I was young. With a gold line, no less, on a stupid tyrolean traverse.

Edit to add: This was before you tube and the internet. All it took was one picture of the Lost Arrow..

Clifton Santiago wrote: Emotional reactions to Darwin and age of majority have nothing to do with this. If you've climbed long enough, hell, if you've LIVED long enough, there have been many instances where sheer luck kept you off the mortician's slab for some imprudent action, and out of the internet forums for some jackass to suggest your genes' didn't pass misinformed muster. All the scientific theory and bullshit ad hoc examples for determinism based on deficiency are poor armor against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune to which any adventurer subjects themselves to. To disparage this young man's legacy and worth for a single instance of miscalculation, clouded no doubt by spirited enthusiasm, is cowardly and demonstrative of a spiritual shallowness. Good luck to all you who shroud yourselves in the belief that something like this could never happen to you because you're so smart, or possessed of superior genes. Take it to Vegas. EDIT: We all make mistakes when we're young, some survive the learning curve, some don't. There but for the grace of whatever go all of us...

bravo Clifton. So many of us could easily have been this young man.

Clifton Santiago wrote: Emotional reactions to Darwin and age of majority have nothing to do with this. If you've climbed long enough, hell, if you've LIVED long enough, there have been many instances where sheer luck kept you off the mortician's slab for some imprudent action, and out of the internet forums for some jackass to suggest your genes' didn't pass misinformed muster. All the scientific theory and bullshit ad hoc examples for determinism based on deficiency are poor armor against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune to which any adventurer subjects themselves to. To disparage this young man's legacy and worth for a single instance of miscalculation, clouded no doubt by spirited enthusiasm, is cowardly and demonstrative of a spiritual shallowness. Good luck to all you who shroud yourselves in the belief that something like this could never happen to you because you're so smart, or possessed of superior genes. Take it to Vegas. EDIT: We all make mistakes when we're young, some survive the learning curve, some don't. There but for the grace of whatever go all of us...

Holy shit... Does thesaurus.com charge you for that or are you on the monthly plan?

EricSchmidt wrote: Holy shit... Does thesaurus.com charge you for that or are you on the monthly plan?

Tu stultus es.

EricSchmidt wrote: Holy shit... Does thesaurus.com charge you for that or are you on the monthly plan?

I don't see any thesaurus words in that. It's just good writing. Get over it.

EricSchmidt wrote: Holy shit... Does thesaurus.com charge you for that or are you on the monthly plan?

Typical Eric, nothing but juvenile insults, if the words are too hard, perhaps find another website.

Clifton Santiago wrote: Tu stultus es.

Bravo again Clifton, I believe this should become the new standard response to ES.

to much screaming

Clifton Santiago wrote: Emotional reactions to Darwin and age of majority have nothing to do with this. If you've climbed long enough, hell, if you've LIVED long enough, there have been many instances where sheer luck kept you off the mortician's slab for some imprudent action, and out of the internet forums for some jackass to suggest your genes' didn't pass misinformed muster. All the scientific theory and bullshit ad hoc examples for determinism based on deficiency are poor armor against the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune to which any adventurer subjects themselves to. To disparage this young man's legacy and worth for a single instance of miscalculation, clouded no doubt by spirited enthusiasm, is cowardly and demonstrative of a spiritual shallowness. Good luck to all you who shroud yourselves in the belief that something like this could never happen to you because you're so smart, or possessed of superior genes. Take it to Vegas. EDIT: We all make mistakes when we're young, some survive the learning curve, some don't. There but for the grace of whatever go all of us...

Even though I agree with you, I think you're wrong.

I would have never tied myself to the end of a 140 foot rope and jumped off into only 130 feet of air. The real tragedy is that he had it coming.

I think that idiotic frat boy video pretty directly lead to this. It was predictable and inevitable.

I feel awful for the poor dead kid, his family, and his friends. One of the bad unintended consequences of posting about things on the internet that require real competence like rope jumps, big wall climbing, soloing, etc. is that folks who haven't put in the time to learn about these things think they are accessible. Sometimes it is better to keep things on the down low, or at least don't do something really stupid like make a frat boy youtube video with an awful semi-hip hop soundtrack to make things look easy to do. Judgement is in short supply in the internet age.

"Clifton Santiago wrote:
Tu stultus es.

Bravo again Clifton, I believe this should become the new standard response to ES."

In a forum such as this, the less formal "tu stultus" would seem more appropriate.

Gratias et valete bene!
RobertusPunctumPacificus

TWK wrote: Even though I agree with you, I think you're wrong. I would have never tied myself to the end of a 140 foot rope and jumped off into only 130 feet of air. The real tragedy is that he had it coming.

That assumes a lot. I think what happened is this poor guy had just enough experience to figure everything out, except rope stretch. This is itself an assumption, but it fits within the most generous, and I believe reasonable model.

While you might not do what this young man did, whatever he did, you might do something different. You might misjudge the angle of pull on a sketchy anchor, only to have your partner blow the low crux... you might misjudge the angle of a screw in shitty ice 20 feet above your last shitty placement, and come off for no reason... you might run your rope over a sharp edge, and whip... or your friend might.

What the crux of all this bickering is, for me, at least, is that there is a certain segment of the MP population that want to make this poor kid out to be Wile E. Coyote, that tragedy only strikes the comically imbecilic, and assume the most simplistic explanation for this tragedy.

I've been climbing awhile, backcountry skiing longer, and work everyday at a very dangerous occupation where I've seen many accidents. I've noticed that there is a certain segment of people in each of these activities, when an accident occurs, they tend to defame the victim for being XYZ deficient in an area the accuser deems obvious, and therefore avoidable. It is a rationalization talisman against the fact that shit happens.

We all fuck up, we all make mistakes, we've all come a whisker away from having someone on the internet talk about how stupid we were for not XYZ...

WE ALL HAVE IT COMING