UKC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4642060.stm

Very sad.

In reply to DougG:

More here.

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/54849.html

In reply to DougG:
Sounds awful.

In reply to DougG: >The first climber who became cragfast ...

What does this mean ?

In reply to Tim Gardener: Stuck on a route. Sounds terrible.

In reply to Tim Gardener:

Cragfast means stuck - usually where a climber climbs to a point which cannot be retreated from, nor can he /she escape from.

In this case, it appears the abseil block and ropes had been lost with the climber and thus no way of escape.

Very sad.

In reply to DougG:

Dear Doug

Yes, very sad, this and all accidents.

Norrie

In reply to DougG:

The Herald report makes a very sobering read, considering I was in the area on Saturday.

Condolences to all involved.

In reply to DougG: Tragic.

In reply to DougG: Really tragic. Myself and my partner backed off from the easter traverse below the great tower around 4 pm on saturday afternoon. We didnt get off the ridge till around 3am on Sunday. We decided to stick to the ridge the whole way down (abbing off blocks for all the steep sections). A very very tough day indeed. We had to abandon one of our ropes on the bottom section, possibly pretty close to where those guys fell. It was the first time we have been on the ben. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those guys.

In reply to DougG: Very sad - a local doctor from Hesket New Market Dr Rupert Bennett worked for Cuedoc in North Cumbria
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=324048

In reply to johnstan:

Really sad news. This guy set my leg and relocated my knee a few years ago before shipping me off to Carlisle hospital.

Thoughts and prayers to his family

In reply to DougG:

really sad to here this news today

all thoughts and prayers to the family and praying for strengh for the two guys that are ok

please everybody be careful on the ben and every other scottish mountain

In reply to princebuster:

Are you the guy who came back late to the Ben Nevis Inn in the early hours? - it looked like you'd had a hard day !!!

In reply to Jim Haydock: No we were staying in a bunk house in Glen Coe, we didnt get back to the car until around 6am. We were on the go for about 24 hours, a very hard day indeed. Still not sure if we did the right thing. Got about 10 meteres across the easter traverse and turned back due to lack of balls/gear although if I had made it across we would only have had about half an hour of daylight left to make it to the top. I think there was another group that turned back about 300m below us, it may have been them. Having said that we seen a lot of torches furter down the valley but Im fairly sure we were the last off the mountain on sunday morning. We also hear a group hammering high on observatory ridge (I think).

Suffice to say tower ridge is not to be underestimated, probably a hell of alot easier with more snow.

In reply to DougG:

This is a tragic story and one that could have easily happened to me and from the sounds of another posting to some others that very same day.

We were climbing as a rope of 3 and when we got to the Eastern traverse there was 6 folks ahead of us with the leader of the first rope practically stuck through nerves/lack of bottle exactly half way across.

After half an hour of waiting we decided that if we didn't descend we would be benighted. However during the day the snow had softened so even the easier sections were treacherous and we abseiled most of the ridge. (comments on how dumb this is appreciated). Because the ridge is so long and there was 3 of us and it was dark, it took ages, with the ropes jamming repeately. Then it started to snow.

I remember sitting on a ledge after one abseil in the pitch and freezing darkness waiting for the other two to join me, they took ages as it later turned out due to rope jams. I got so cold that I started to hallicinate that I was in a nice warm bed with my wife...

Anyway, we finally got off and back to the car for about 1am all safe and well.

So what lessons can we learn from this? I am sure my fellow posters will have a few.

For me, it was early in my climbing, I realised that our skills were not sufficient, our knowledge of retreat and any other options was none existant... and even if all of that was fine, sometimes, on a route, you are dependent on the actions or inactions of others.

Also, for any novices out there do not underestimate Tower Ridge.

Cheers

Alan

In reply to BigAlMac:

Was considering a solo on Tower Ridge if the conditions looked good- now im thinking its a bad idea.

In reply to BigAlMac:

Bottlenecks at the Eastern Traverse/Tower gap are often a problem and the reason for benightments. It's a shame the climber on the traverse hadn't retreated and allowed others to get along the traverse in good time. They could have then belayed the slower party across.

In reply to BigAlMac: It's a good idea to check out escape points from TR as retreating from the start of the Eastern Traverse as you found is quite serious in poor conditions ie. soft snow. It is possible to gain Tower Gully after the ET and descend this(keep to the East side to avoid Tower Scoop). The climb above the ET is not easy with a steep wall(route not so obvious in lean conditionds), and the crossing of Tower Gap above Glovers Chimney exit, and a tricky slabby climb out of the gap.
Tower Ridge is certainly not a route for novices, as ice-climbing is not just a question of front-pointing on steep ice, but envelopes all the skills of the winter climber including the ability to withstand quite extreem weather and long days out. No doubt you will be wiser after ther event. However it could have been worse, as you a least avoided the awful descent of Five Finger Gully which is often the lot of teams who make it to the summit in poor weather... which is the norm.

In reply to KeithW:
I'd be interested to hear more experienced climbers' comments.

Dear Keith

I think this is an inappropriate thread, to discuss/comment on the merits or otherwise of descending /bivvying routes in winter and specifically Tower Ridge. Those who were on the ridge that day gave their experience, which is different.

Norrie

In reply to KeithW:

I always take bivvy bag, it weighs 350g or about the same as a can of pop, I have never been benighted for carrying a a can of pop in my sack...........

Never take spare food though, I have gone 3 days without eating, so 24 hours without food is no real hardship.

In reply to Simon22: as norrie has said this thread is innapropiate for folk like you saying how good you are.

In reply to Erik B:

I do apologise Erik, please accept them or I may worry all day.......I am not very good really, in fact I am quite 'bad'.

In reply to DougG: i feel deeply sorry for the freinds and familly.

In reply to Erik B:

Sorry Norrie & Erik - I didn't mean it to sound that way; but reading the thread there's a chance it will be seen as such.

I'll remove the comment.

In reply to Norrie Muir:

I find myself agreeing with you Norrie.

I think I need to lie down.

In reply to KeithW:

I didn't read it such, hence my genuine reply which was taken completely out of context by some.......

In reply to DougG:
oh sad, yes, shit happens

In reply to blunt_pin:

If that's the best you've got to offer, maybe best not to bother in future, eh?

In reply to DougG:

My partner lost his best friend whilst climbing with him, you never recover from such a loss.

I feel very much for his family and friends.

In reply to Juicy Lucy:
I lost one of my best friends when i was climbing with him in the alps and i was the one who had to come back from the alps and tell his kids !
That was in 99 and i still miss him and i still feel for his family.
i will never recover from that loss and now grades don't matter and i just leave and come back another day !
i do feel for the family and i know what his friends are going threw. (sorry about the spelling but this a painful subject for me !)
Flock