Another One: Rock Canyon Rappelling Death

RIP.
Too many of these the past few days.

heraldextra.com/news/local/…

Very sad. Sorry, I don't have anymore details on the accident.

For whom it may concern.
legacy.com/obituaries/saltl…

Published in Salt Lake Tribune from July 28 to July 29, 2016

Christopher Robert Stockmann
1988 - 2016

Chris Stockmann PhD, died in a rock climbing accident Monday, July 25, 2016. He was 28 years old.

Chris was known for his brilliance, passion for research, but most of all for his warm, humble,unpretentious style, and incredible kindness that touched everyone he met. His smile and warmth were a constant, as was his incredibly optimistic outlook. Generosity pervaded everything he did in life. He had innumerable friends and collaborators within the University of Utah, where he was a Research Assistant Professor, and across the country.

Equally passionate about the outdoors from a young age, Chris loved backcountry skiing, mountain biking, hiking, canyoneering, and rock climbing. He is survived by his beloved sister, loving parents, and his adored fiancé and children.

We will Celebrate Chris' Life on Friday evening, July 29 from 6-9pm, up in the mountains he loved so dearly. Please bring your stories and memories, and we will sit by the campfire and celebrate the joy Chris brought to our lives. Spruces Campground Site G-3 (group site, signs will be posted) Big Cottonwood Canyon, Salt Lake City, Utah. The campground is about 9.7 miles up the canyon. This is a campfire celebration so wear comfortable, casual clothes.

In lieu of flowers, a scholarship fund will be set up in his name.

Complete obituary and online condolences at cannonmortuary.com.

Funeral Home
Cannon Mortuary
2460 E. Bengal Blvd. (7600 S.) Salt Lake City, UT 84121
(801) 942-6301

Published in Salt Lake Tribune from July 28 to July 29, 2016

I hate the typical funeral, this seems very appropriate. Well done and condolences to the family.

This was my husband. Our kids and I were there. He was a very experienced climber.

If you scroll down you can see it is the same girl & guy in the photos. People look different from different camera angles.

Diana, I am so sorry your husband was taken away from you and your kids so soon.

Thank you Sherb. I appreciate your kind condolences.
In case people would like to know, this was a rappelling mistake. I know very little about climbing, but our friends present at the accident also explained that once he was coming down, the rope was not looped through both places in his harness. Perhaps someone can help me make more sense of this. I am ready to understand more about the actual mistake that took my Chris's life. I haven't dared ask anyone until now.

Diana Hernandez wrote:The rope was not looped through both places in his harness. Perhaps someone can help me make more sense of this.

I imagine there are first responders that could speak more definitively to the circumstances surrounding Chris' passing. Going out on a limb I would hazard a guess that he did not load both strands of his rappel rope through the two chambers of his tube style rappel device. By only capturing and weighing one strand, the other strand was free to run through the anchor system.

My condolences. Consider reaching out to a friend of your late husbands for a personalize explanation. It will be easiest to understand if they can demo the rope system for you.

Thank you Nick. I was there too but I was at the bottom and I am not a climber, so it was Incredibly frustrating to make sense of what happened in the moment.
I wanted someone experienced in climbing and unknown to us to explain this to me, and I think this is a good place.
My Chris was very experienced. I still wish I knew why he would oversee that mistake, he was always so careful.

Diana Hernandez wrote:My Chris was very experienced. I still wish I knew why he would oversee that mistake, he was always so careful.

That fact of the matter is that it happens to the best of us. In fact, the worst accidents usually happen to people with more experience. I wish you luck in the unfortunate journey to come that is grief. I wish there was something somebody could say it make it all better but of course life isn't that easy.

As for how it happened, I have my own theory, but it is ill informed and only speculation. Unfortunately the description given by your friends is quite vague and doesn't quite make sense. I'm sure many folks here would be more than willing to explain the mistake he made once more details come to light.

I know that SLC has a very good local climbing organization (LCO) and I suspect they would be happy to help you with whatever they can. It might be worth reaching out.

Hello Diana, Sorry to hear that the accident involved your husband. My condolences and my best wishes for you and your family. I applaud your willingness to come on line to help seek answers.

Here is a link an article written by a good friend on rappelling with an ATC that would perhaps shed some light on what may have happened.

canyoneeringusa.com/techtip…

The initial article describes using one strand of rope through the ATC for rappelling but being that he was descending from a climb he would have probably been using two stands of rope. From what you have described the very last image in the article and shown below would be my best educated guess at what happened with two strands.

Not getting both ropes clipped through the carabiner can happen because the locking gate closes prematurely. And with everything in close proximity one can miss that both ropes were not clipped. Unfortunately once fully weighted the system will fail. I hope this helps.

I have almost done this^^. I'm very wary of rappelling accidents so I always end up triple checking and it was during my review of the setup that I spotted the problem of only clipping one rope. Sent shivers down my spine.

Have done that myself...and thankfully had a hold on the rappel anchor on a steep sports route when I loaded my rappel situation. The strand popped out, but, since I had one hand on one side of the rappel anchor chain, I leaned in and reclipped to the anchor. Was a few years ago and I nearly learned the hard way to load up the rappel prior to unclipping from the anchor.

Condolences.

Ryan Hamilton wrote:I have almost done this^^. I'm very wary of rappelling accidents so I always end up triple checking and it was during my review of the setup that I spotted the problem of only clipping one rope. Sent shivers down my spine.

Test, don't just inspect.

Marc801 wrote: Test, don't just inspect.

Yep I always yard on mine a little and take up enough were I can test the feed before I come unclipped.

More importantly however I'm very sorry for your loss Diana. The whole community grieves a loss of one of our own.

Allen Sanderson wrote: Hello Diana, Sorry to hear that the accident involved your husband. My condolences and my best wishes for you and your family. I applaud your willingness to come on line to help seek answers. Here is a link an article written by a good friend on rappelling with an ATC that would perhaps shed some light on what may have happened. http://www.canyoneeringusa.com/techtips/black-diamond-atc-rappelling/ The initial article describes using one strand of rope through the ATC for rappelling but being that he was descending from a climb he would have probably been using two stands of rope. From what you have described the very last image in the article and shown below would be my best educated guess at what happened with two strands. Not getting both ropes clipped through the carabiner can happen because the locking gate closes prematurely. And with everything in close proximity one can miss that both ropes were not clipped. Unfortunately once fully weighted the system will fail. I hope this helps.

This is perfect, thank you so much! This helps tremendously! Thank you!

Marc801 wrote: I have almost done this^^. I'm very wary of rappelling accidents so I always end up triple checking and it was during my review of the setup that I spotted the problem of only clipping one rope. Sent shivers down my spine. Test, don't just inspect.

Amen. I'll add to the thread-use a personal anchor system. I weight the rope strands before I unclip the P.A.S...ALWAYS! This is something that can never be understated-have a system, and be religious about it. Step by step. Record and practice each step, and never stray from your steps. ALWAYS weight the rappel strands BEFORE unclipping your redundant system. Only then are you ready to rappel. Diana, I am truly sorry for your loss. I hope you are getting the information that you are seeking. 

B = Buckle, Is the buckle on my harness double backed and legs fastened correctly?

A = Anchor, Is the anchor Solid? Equalized? Redundant? Non-extending?

R = Rap Device, Is the rap device threaded correct? In the correct orientation? Is it clipped into the correct part of the harness?

K = Knot, Is there a knot at the end of the rope, so I don't rap off the end?

I learned this while taking a course at Idaho State University Outdoor Education. Knowledge is power. Don't forget to BARK before you rap. So sorry for your loss. Perhaps this thread can save the lives of others who are learning the skills. I'd recommend taking a course from the University of a Guiding Company. 

I should add that if one is using a prusik knot backup which one will tie and can easily see is over both strands of rope would have acted as a fail safe. However, most people forgo that. Especially on single rope rappels.  http://www.chockstone.org/TechTips/RapBackup.htm

Allen Sanderson wrote:

I should add that if one is using a prusik knot backup which one will tie and can easily see is over both strands of rope would have acted as a fail safe. However, most people forgo that. Especially on single rope rappels.  http://www.chockstone.org/TechTips/RapBackup.htm

Weighting the rap lines while you are still anchored is far, far more effective. Prevention rather than remediation.