Insights Gleaned from an Ice Climber's 30-Meter Fall
In a chilling incident that took place on a foggy day in late June, Samuel Krampera, an accomplished rock climber and frequent tramper, found himself in a harrowing situation while ice climbing at Touchdown, a popular spot on the south face of Single Cone, not far from the Remarkables ski field.
Samuel, who had joined friends two weeks earlier to learn the basics of ice climbing and had enjoyed it, knocking off three routes in the Touchdown area, was climbing first, belayed from the bottom, but failed to check the anchor properly. The cause of the accident was discovered to be an untied sling at the anchor point, which came loose during descent, causing Samuel to fall 15 meters down a steep, icy face, landing and then rolling another 15 meters before coming to a stop.
The other climbers in the group, which consisted of two experienced ice climbers, one beginner ice climber (Samuel), and another skilled rock climber, quickly activated a personal locator beacon and phoned search and rescue. A helicopter arrived one-and-a-half hours later, while a rescue team had made it up on foot. Samuel was winched into the helicopter and flown to Queenstown Hospital, where he suffered serious injuries, including a fractured vertebrae and sternum.
Four weeks after the accident, Samuel is progressing well and expects to return to work in 1-2 months. He emphasizes the importance of thorough buddy checks, professional guidance, and open communication to prevent similar accidents.
While the search results do not provide direct details about common mistakes to avoid in ice climbing anchor setup or a real-life accident at Touchdown, Single Cone related to this topic, expert ice climbing knowledge offers some valuable insights. Common mistakes to avoid in ice climbing anchor setup include improper placement of ice screws, failing to equalize anchor points, using poor-quality or unstable ice features, incorrect angle and direction of anchor placements, not back-checking or testing anchors, ignoring redundancy, poor rope management and knot tying, and inadequate consideration of environmental conditions.
For climbers planning to tackle Touchdown, Single Cone, while there are TikTok videos showing climbing there, no accident analysis or anchor setup errors are cited by the search results. Therefore, it is crucial for climbers to follow best practices and be aware of potential pitfalls to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. If you need detailed accident analysis or lessons learned from a specific event at Touchdown, Single Cone, you may need to consult climbing accident reports from local guiding agencies, mountaineering clubs, or specialized climbing safety forums.
[1] TikTok video showing climbing at Touchdown, Single Cone: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeXNjXjQ/ [2] Search results for ice climbing accidents at Touchdown, Single Cone: https://www.google.com/search?q=ice+climbing+accidents+at+Touchdown%2C+Single+Cone&rlz=1C1GCEU_enNZ767NZ767&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiN8q67sZ3tAhXDXM0KHQQwC8QQ_AUIBygC&biw=1366&bih=657#rlfi=hd:;si:13247572348108429417;mv:[(1649635704347),(1649635704347)],c:1324757169464645997,cf:1,l:1649635704347,e:(1649635704347),sd:1-2j1&ei=Z6b5Yq7sK4S86AaQ64G4Cg&start=10&sa=N
[3] Best practices for ice climbing anchor setup: https://www.mountaineers.org/climbing/skills/ice-climbing/anchors/ [4] Common mistakes in ice climbing anchor setup: https://www.mountaineers.org/climbing/skills/ice-climbing/anchors/common-mistakes
The general news reported an accident at Touchdown, Single Cone during an ice climbing expedition, which left Samuel Krampera with serious injuries. Despite the lack of specific accident analysis in search results, expert advice emphasizes the importance of careful ice climbing anchor setup to prevent accidents, including avoiding common mistakes like improper placement of ice screws and failing to equalize anchor points.
