UKC

Big Wall Climbing Can Kill You: a sobering tale of Ryoichi and Mariko

© Martyn Maltby
Big wall climbing can get you killed in more ways than one.

Study the weather carefully before you go, pack appropriately, have a plan for escaping, and have a means of communicating with someone on the ground. Don't believe people when they tell you “It never rains in Yosemite,” because it does.

Sometimes it snows for days during prime climbing season. Understand before you leave the ground that you might have to bivy, climb and/or rappel in a frigid, wind-whipped waterfall before you make it back down.

We can never be prepared for every contingency, but take the time to work out as many details as possible and never underestimate the forces of nature.

In mid-October 2004 two Japanese climbers died high on The Nose of El Capitan, Yosemite, California, USA.

You can read a recent Yosemite Search and Rescue analysis of this tragedy here at www.friendsofyosar.org


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30 Jun, 2007
Any chance we can have these sort of articles NOT posted as "news". This happened in 2004 - it's a worthwhile and interesting article and good to publicise, but I read the title and thought you were reporting a current event, not something I read years ago. If only for people with mates out there, you can save them a heart stopping moment...
30 Jun, 2007
It is a new in-depth analysis written by Friends of YOSAR and is very useful information for anyone planning doing a big wall. I should have put the date and will now update. Thanks, Mick
30 Jun, 2007
News or not, it's quite a fascinating and slightly harrowing study. Reminds me a bit of the White Spider in places.
30 Jun, 2007
Not news but definitely worth retelling. Several years ago in a May of bad weather, I was setting out to start the Triple Direct on El Cap, Clear blue skies as we walked in from El Cap meadow to the base. By the time we had got there a storm had arrived from around the West Face. We sacked it and took the gear back to the van and walked back in to the base. We returned to the bottom of the Salathe wall and Nose The Salathe was a frigid waterfall and parties were bailing from the Nose and Stoveleg Cracks. Most dressed in normal crag wear (understandably), verging on hypothermic, it was snowing heavily just 400' up. Having seen that, I decided always to go onto the long routes on the walls with a ledge, canopy, foul weather gear - the works! I think you just have to experience the bad stuff once to fully appreciate just how grim it can get. It's not all blue skies, and when it gets bad it can be very bad. Regards, Steve
Scary stuff. Made me feel very mortal. Going fast and light on big walls, sounds a silly idea unless the forcasts perfect and you know what you're doing. I remember reading about Andy Parkin survieing a 5 day storm in Yosemite, reckoning that using Buffalo gear (and sleeping bags) was the only reason that they are still alive.
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