PSAR - Lead Climber Fall, Stranded Party
July 11, 2005
Tuolumne Meadows, Fairview Dome, Lucky Streaks (5.10d, 6 pitches)
LOOSE HOLD—LATE START, BENIGHTED WITHOUT LIGHT, INADEQUATE CLOTHING
Incident
On Monday, July 11, 2005, at approximately 7:30 pm climber T.N. was injured in a fall on the 5th pitch of Lucky Streaks on Fairview Dome (5.10d, 6 pitches).
According to T.N., he and his partner, J.M., began climbing the route at about 2:30 pm. T.N. led all the pitches on a single 60 meter rope. At pitch 5, he decided to climb the 5.9 thin crack variation rather than the pitch beginning with the 5.8 traverse, which is more commonly done. He climbed up to the flake depicted in the "Rock Climbs of Tuolumne Meadows 3rd Edition" guide book, and set up a belay, splitting pitch 5 into two pitches. T.N. said he climbed to that point without difficulty and that he had climbed this variation of the route several times before. J.M. followed the pitch.
T.N. climbed 10 to 15 feet above the belay and placed a 00 size TCU in a thin crack. He then stepped onto a knob with his right foot and grabbed another knob with his right hand. As he shifted his weight onto the right hand-hold, he felt the knob break and a sudden sharp pain in his right shoulder. T.N. fell 6 to 8 feet onto the TCU. He said that he knew immediately that he had dislocated his shoulder, because he had dislocated his other shoulder several times previously and the pain was familiar. Unable to continue, T.N. had J.M. lower him back to the belay, where he tied himself in.
T.N. considered a self-rescue, but decided that it would be safer for them to be rescued by the National Park Service. T.N. has climbed most of his life, but J.M. was a relative beginner. According to T.N., J.M. did not have the rope skills needed to get them both safely to the base or summit, and he himself would not be able to get them off the wall due to his injury.
T.N. and J.M. decided to wait at the belay for help. They had no light source, cold weather gear, and little water. As darkness fell, they became increasingly cold and dehydrated. About 11:30 pm a Ranger checking vehicles at the parking pullout heard their yelling. A rescue was begun.
Rescue
Neither T.N. nor J.M. had a light source to show their location high on the wall. It was impossible to understand from their shouting anything beyond their need for help. A hasty team went to the base of the wall assessed the situation.
By 12:30 am the Tuolumne SAR Team started up the trail to climb the back side of Fairview Dome. At about 3:30 am the team was at the top of Lucky Streaks devising a plan for a rope rescue. Meanwhile, T.N. and J.M. reported being increasingly cold, dehydrated, and uncomfortable, but otherwise stable.
Tuolumne SAR Site Member Eric Ruderman, an EMT, was lowered down to T.N. Ruderman stabilized T.N.'s shoulder, secured J.M. at the belay station, and then assisted T.N. as he was raised to the summit. SAR Siter Drew Rollins was lowered down to J.M. and the two were raised to the top together.
The SAR Team, T.N., and J.M. descended the back side of Fairview Dome and reached the trailhead by about 9:15 am. J.M. drove T.N. to the hospital.
Analysis
This rescue was caused by an unfortunate fluke. However, it does highlight a few important points about climbing long routes at high altitudes.
T.N. and J.M. began the climb at about 2:30 pm. This left six hours before sunset, and they planned to descend in the dark. By 7:30 pm all the other climbers had left the area. Once they were stranded, T.N. and J.M.’s only hope for initiating a rescue that night was to be heard by someone stopping at the trailhead. They could easily have not been discovered until morning.
T.N. and J.M. did not have any overnight gear, such as warm clothes or headlamps. The weather was cool that night, but not cold, and athough T.N. and J.M. were pretty uncomfortable, they were not in serious danger of hypothermia. Had a weather system moved in, though, it could have been a different story.
When undertaking any route in the high country, it is good to remember how poorly the thin mountain air holds heat, and how quickly the temperature plummets after sundown compared to lower elevations. Consider carrying some warm clothes.
Because they had no light source, it was impossible to determine from the road where T.N. and J. were on the wall. This delayed the rescue by about an hour because a team had to be sent to the base of wall to get more information. A light can also be an initial means of communication with rescuers when yelling is inneffective.
Given the circumstances, T.N.'s decision to stay where they were may well have prevented further injury or even death to himself or his partner.
Source: Nate Knight, NPS Ranger, Yosemite National Park. Material from Ranger George Paiva. Guidance and editing by Ranger John Dill.