UKC

There was a climbing accident at the popular Cornish climbing venue, Bosigran, yesterday:

https://hmcoastguard.blogspot.com/2023/04/challenging-rescue-at-popular-cor...

It seems the rescue went well. Perhaps a timely reminder that accidents can happen to any of us, at any time, no matter how experienced we are. Here's hoping a speedy recovery to the person(s) involved.

This is the second rescue of climbers in Cornwall in as many months (the other was from Trewavas). This is unusual, as there aren't that many of us compared to other parts of the country.

Both rescues involved the use of the Coastguard helicopter. If involved in a climbing accident on the coast, it is highly probable that a helicopter will be used, if it is available. Climbers should be aware that, despite the best efforts of the local cliff rescue teams, some scenarios are outside of their remit - the lower reaches of Bosigran (Commando) Ridge being one.

As stated in the article, all climbers in the vicinity of a helicopter rescue need to make themselves safe and ensure their gear, spare clothing etc is secure and cannot become a hazard to the helicopter itself.

For all incidents on the coast, from climbing to walking sections of the coast path, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Happy (and safe) climbing 😊

It's hard to over-egg the power of the Coastguard helicopters' downwash, both the S92 and the AW189. They destroy brush and small trees, and force larger branches off bigger trees. Any kit not secured is likely to fly off, and unless you're wearing really protective eye-wear, keep your eyes shut as the amount of debris flying around is scary.

Have been buried under greenery forced down by an AW189 whilst lying on a heap of MR kit to stop it being blown all over the shop. Fortunately it was pliable saplings and no harm done, but there's a reason we're required to wear helmets, eye-protection and long legs / sleeves when working with the helicopters.

Shorts on a beach with a rescue board was fun. Sand blasted!

 Climbers should be aware that, despite the best efforts of the local cliff rescue teams, some scenarios are outside of their remit - the lower reaches of Bosigran (Commando) Ridge being one.

That's interesting, we don't have any restrictions on the team here in Guernsey.  What're the restrictions on the cornish team(s)? Or is it simply that the bottom of Commando ridge is impossible to access from above?  PS. we wouldn't use a chopper unless we can't perform the rescue fast enough, or it was a tidal stack we couldn't get to because the tide was in.

I'd hazard a guess that it is difficulty of access from above that makes Commando ridge a no go. If you've not climbed there, getting to bottom entails climbing up and over the landward end of the ridge, then a descent down a steep boulder strewn slope with at least one (maybe two, its been a while since I did it?) abseil down to the sea level platform. Once on the ridge itself getting to safety means climbing to the top along the exposed ridgeline, or a tricky abseil back to sea level.

I can imagine trying to extract an injured climber who cant walk, from the base or anywhere along the ridge would be incredibly challenging without a helicopter!

Coastguard cliff rescues in Cornwall are problematic. The coastguard are only allowed to access cliffs from above using stake anchors. (They are not allowed to use the natural anchors we would use.) This means it is impossible for them to access Bosigran Ridge. About 5 years ago, a couple of climbers got stuck halfway along the ridge in the dark one of them with an injured ankle. They had phone signal and alerted the coastguard. Fortunately, they also had a non climbing friend who was concerned and came knocking at the Count House door. A group of very competent climbers were staying there and set out to effect a rescue and were lucky enough to get there before the coastguard arrived en masse. They were already part way along the ridge and starting to effect the rescue when they were told they were not allowed to! This was ignored and the stuck climbers were assisted off the ridge and once back on relatively level ground, the coastguard took over. 

The only way that the coastguard can rescue someone from the ridge is to call in a helicopter, this was not possible that night, I think because the wind was too strong. If the local climbers had not been on hand, the situation could have become quite serious.

It's often possible to lower parties off into a small RNLI Rib, but the winds that stop airborne SAR also create big swells, it becomes catch 22. A more contentious solution is those competent enough among the cliff rescue team are stood down and effect a multi pitch rescue in their own time (obviously uninsured) 

Here's the incident to which Mark refers; well worth reading:

https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/rock_talk/commando_ridge_rescue-628668?

I'm not familiar with the area, but if this is regular problem I feel that additional training is required in the use of natural anchors.

Or perhaps (heaven forbid) as has happened on Sharp Edge in The Lakes, permanent bolted anchors could be installed for use by rescue services. 

Generally Coastguard teams can’t do redirects on a lower, and can’t do traverses e.g. going out along C.  Ridge. Nor will they attempt scramble descents. 

My local team, despite having miles of short sea cliffs with routes, freely admit that with the logistics of getting the kit, stakes, tripod, pulleys and man power, plus following the CRT protocols that the most timely extraction and onward transfer is by helicopter, unless it’s calm and the RNLI can get in close.

In fact they get very nervous about having to do a proper cliff rescue.

Great idea, let's get a handrail installed too...

Sounds like you need an MRT (or similar volunteer cliff rescue team) to supliment the services of the coastguard, for more climbing orientated rescures. Wonder is there is a cave rescue team in the area who could diversify into offering surface support.

I wonder how easy it would be these days to set up a new voluntary mrt whose remit crossed over so much with the coastguard. It feels like we have grandfather rights (sometimes literally, ha!) but the idea of a new team forming and being giving carte blanche on the crags in the current h+s climate seems unlikely. MRTs formed out of situations not dissimilar from the one mentioned above - whichever climbers or shepherds or whoever was in the pub turning out to carry people down. Try something like that these days and you're likely to run into someone with an official jacket and job title telling you your help isn't welcome, and more than likely in a mountainous area that'll be an official red jacket.

The short answer, hard to do... for the long answer go to a MR England and Wales annual conference!

It's down to liability, the police have primacy for public safety, even if they allow or task other agencies to do the rescuing. Caving, MRTs, rnli, coastguard etc... once a volunteer MRT has been requested by the police they are insured by the police. The police won't task a team that isn't recognised by MR committee etc.. similar with caving. 

Which means you have a million formal hoops to jump through and MRCs don't like change! 

The Severn Area Rescue Assoc had these challenges in their early days (years).

Changed days from 50 years ago when climbers drinking in the Clachaig bar would occasionally be asked to volunteer help.

I notice there is a Cornwall West MRT. 28 incidents attended to last year, Pesumably there is some crossover when it gets too problematic for the coastguard.

I was involved in an incident at Holyhead Mountain a few years ago and was quite surprised that instead of MRT, all these people with blue boiler suits and hard hats arrived in a couple of coastguard SUV's just ahead of the helicopter. 

have known a few people in that and as far as I have been told, they generally don't get involved with sea cliff rescues and generally have more of an inland SAR remit, rather than cracking the ropes out. Happy to be corrected.

You could be right, I just looked it up in the MR magazine, but I'd be surprised if they don't do some rope work practice as there are some inland cliffs in Cornwall (although maybe not West Cornwall)

For Holyhead mountain that would be fine surely. The only incidents I've been close to in the Peak have been sorted by ambulance crew and no other services.

Think the chaps were lifted off of something in the neighborhood of Autumn Flakes. I was topping out doorway at the time. We were already off the deck when the coastguards walked the crag asking people to leave. Bit surprised they didn't come and talk to us as we topped out, they were stood pretty close by. 

We were therefore close enough to count the rivets on the underside of the helicopter - it was close enough that it was really quite intimidating. 

Being winched off a crag looks like quite the experience! 

St Agnes and Newquay have Coastguard Search and Rescue teams and I know they have both engaged in complex cliff rescues.  One of the issues is that Cornwall and its climbing environment is lengthy ie scattered across the coastline and the concentration of climbers (compared to N Wales or the Lakes for example) is low.

The venue for any such discussions in the first instance I would suggest is the quarterly BMC South West Area Meeting.

About 40 years ago now. I had the Lochaber MRT turn up on Ben Nevis to aid us with a pair in trouble in South Gully. The first thing they said to me was "Scotland lost" They had been watching the rugby in the pub but were sober enough if quite jovial. Things went from feeling quite serious to almost a fun evening. 

That makes a lot more sense. I was trying to reconcile the MRT report that they were 20m from the top with problems escaping or accessing Commando ridge! 

Paragon.

Interesting. We normally use stakes as they're a 'known quantity' and are often the only anchor where we'd want it - far back enough from the edge that we can rig a haul system below them whilst retaining enough room to get a stretcher onto safe ground. Our anchors need to be able to take ~400kg of static weight (casualty on stretcher plus 2x 'barrow boys') plus hauling peak loads. Thus using nuts & cams on random bits of rock doesn't really cut it in terms of predictable loadbearing. However, we are allowed to use natural anchors if we have to.

That sounds quite tight to be honest, has there mean much embracing of Kirk Maunthers rigging for rescue system approach over the last few decades... weakest link, multiples of safety, systems analysis etc...?

3 large wires, 30kn, equalised with knotted rope or sling so drop a third that gives an anchor strength of 20kn and safety ratio of 5:1 on 400kg rescue load. Obviously you'd have a second set of anchors and another rope, and you'd likely have more than just wires anyway, but safety ratios should be chasing 10:1 of load, not simply matching it. (Sorry if I'm preaching to the converted).

Nb. A sling around a boulder could be weaker than a few wires, the devil is in the maths detail. Obviously a high strength tie off around a very big static object is different.

Nbb... 3 wide stakes, equalised and tied off low, can often be amazing even in wet squidgy ground, so I can see why many non climber based rescue groups steer towards them. 

400kg static is 4kN and with a 5x safety factor to take into account dynamic loads (a slip at the edge with some slack out) gives 20kN as the standard strength needed at each masterpoint of a typical MRT twin tensioned system. That's easily acheivable with rock gear (a well-placed nut being 12-14kN on its own) and any competent trad climber should be able to tell you whether or not the quality of the rock is reliable enough to trust or if it needs some backing up.

Stakes, on the other hand, are an unknown quantity because you've got no idea what the ground is like under the surface. To make allowance for this when we use stakes we whack loads of them in. The downside of this approach is that it's extremely weight inefficient, which might not be a problem if you can drive a pickup to the top of a crag but it is if you're operating in the mountains, and especially so if its a complex rescue which needs a multi stage lower.

Glad to see we were thinking the same. 

I've done testing with stake systems on grass, marsh, sand, peat etc using force meters. They are surprisingly good, but there is always an unknown factor as you can't see underground, you just know how far it went in. A big boulder is visible on all sides and more reassuring! 

Yup absolutely. Stakes can be really good but I've found from experience that they don't hold very well in piles of slate waste with a thin crust of turf on top...

I too am wary of them, but I was amazed and impressed to see a tensioned guideline work successfully off a ‘hedgehog’ hold in a loose quarry spoil heap in weardale, back in the day. Of course the consequences of failure of the guideline wouldn’t have been catastrophic…