Alberta cliff fall kills 2 climbers

[rob the knob]

RIP





Alberta cliff fall kills 2 climbers
CBC News Posted: Jul 29, 2012 3:44 PM MT Last Updated: Jul 29, 2012 4:25 PM MT Read 0 comments0
Emergency teams were able to quickly locate the bodies of the climbers near Heart Creek Trail thanks to the directions of a witness. (Kyle Bakx/CBC News)


Two people are dead after a rock climbing accident at the Heart Creek Mountain area near Canmore, Alta., about 80 kilometres east of Calgary.


Ground units from Canmore and Kananaskis along with conservation officers hiked a couple of kilometres along the Heart Creek Trail to retrieve the bodies of the climbers, believed to be in their early 20s, from a dry creek bed at the bottom of the valley, Stuart Brideaux with Calgary EMS said.

A witness who saw the pair fall about 100 metres from the rock face was able to give emergency crews accurate information as to the location, Brideaux said.

The young man and woman, who have not been identified by RCMP investigators, were equipped with the proper helmets and ropes for rock climbing, Brideau said.

[Canmorite]

Wow..RIP. I've been climbing there before, scary to think about that.

[CompletelyNumb]

Any names released? I had some friends climbing there this weekend...

[rob the knob]

strange though for two to perish in one incident. i wonder if accident or something else. i used to climb in old country and this seem like strange incident. rip.

[revelations]

Thats a pretty common rock climbing area with many marked points, to lose all your connections suddenly is unusual.

[Kloubek]

RIP. Just came back from that area yesterday.

[wintonyk]

i just drove by heart creek trail head and was wondering why the rcmp and ctv and cbc were there.

[TravisF79]

live near there and yeah it was a busy area. news crews, ambulance, helicopter etc.

[btimbit]

Originally posted by CompletelyNumb
Any names released? I had some friends climbing there this weekend...

x2 for names, have a coworker out there with friends right now.

Anyone know?

[CanmoreOrLess]

From The Sun:

Kananaskis Emergency Services, which brought in a helicopter for the recovery, will be investigating the matter, said Jantz.

ÒItÕll have to be how the ropes were tied on for rappelling, how the harnesses were connected,Ó he said.

ÒTheyÕll have to investigate the ropes Ñ all those will have to be done.Ó

Jantz estimate as many as 300 hikers use the area on a weekend day.

He estimated there is about one falling incident in the Bow Valley each weekend, though they vary in severity.

[CanmoreOrLess]

A reporter for Metro says in a tweet:

Identities of deceased climbers near Canmore remain a mystery, RCMP may have to use fingerprints.

Jeremy Nolais ‏@Metro_Nolais

https://twitter.com/Metro_Nolais

[rob the knob]

finger prints? these people be to jail they assume?


rip

Originally posted by CanmoreOrLess
A reporter for Metro says in a tweet:

Identities of deceased climbers near Canmore remain a mystery, RCMP may have to use fingerprints.

Jeremy Nolais ‏@Metro_Nolais

https://twitter.com/Metro_Nolais

[CanmoreOrLess]

Originally posted by rob the knob
finger prints? these people be to jail they assume?


rip

No ID on them, no vehicle in the parking lot? Dental would be the next step after fingerprinting. In any case it gives an indication of the fall.

[g-m]

yep very important not to fall!

[Maybelater]

If any of you had friends out and are actually worried, why not shoot a text, or check their FB or something.

[CompletelyNumb]

Nothing on their facebook. Phones were off. Thanks though.

Got a hold of them. They were nearby but left as soon as they heard.

RIP to the two that passed away.

[rob the knob]

i did not realize they were rappelling and tied together. no makes sense how fell together.



Update: Police release identity of Calgarian killed in climbing accident in Canmore

Man, woman in 20s were climbing wall above Heart Mountain Creek

BY BRYAN WEISMILLER AND MEGHAN POTKINS, CALGARY HERALD JULY 30, 2012 5:11 PM




Const. Jeff Jantz of the Canmore RCMP points toward Heart Creek Mountain where two climbers fell more than 80 metres Sunday afternoon.
Photograph by: Bryan Weismiller , Handout
CANMORE - Police have released the identity of one of the victims in yesterday’s tragic climbing accident near Canmore.

Ranjit Sidhu, 31, of Calgary and an unidentified 25-year-old woman were killed when they fell nearly 100 metres while rappelling from a steep wall on the west side of Heart Mountain Creek east of Canmore. The two climbers were friends and co-workers from Calgary.

The family of the woman has declined to release her name, say RCMP.

“The individuals have been identified and the medical examiner’s office are now engaged with the families,” said staff Sgt. Brad Freer with the Canmore RCMP.

“Really it’s a tragic accident. There is no foul play,” he said.

The pair were found laying a few metres apart in a dry creek bed by hikers who witnessed the fall.

“They were rappelling together on a single rope,” Freer said. “It was a rappelling accident. They were coming down the mountain on an anchored rope. The rope was anchored up top.”

Climbers describe rappelling as “one of the most dangerous” backcountry pursuits.

Whereas sport climbers latch onto bolts that have been pre-drilled into the mountain, repellers often rely on their own equipment and anchors.

“You’re depending on one anchor,” said Darren Vonk, who has been sport climbing for six years. “There’s no safeguard.”

Heart Creek Trail is a popular hiking, scrambling and rock climbing area used by 100 to 300 hikers on any given day on the weekend. Climbers expressed shock Sunday. “It’s awful to hear about something like that,” said climber Adam Lindenburger. “It sends chills down the valley.”



Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Up...#ixzz229Pfb934

[msommers]

This accident was definitely in our minds when we set out to climb today. Lots of discussion of what-if's but it sounded like a single-strand rappelling accident (maybe they were repelling simultaneously) where their anchor blew out, missing a prusik, didn't tie knots in the ends of the rope. Pretty crazy that they both fell which leads me to think it was an anchor failure. When we heard about it last night there was a lot of texting going on to see who was safe.

Not sure if it could have been avoided but there really is no reason to have to single strand repel there. And building an anchor should be one of the first skills you learn, even if it is a very basic type. In any regard, it's a very unfortunate incident and I hope it serves as a reminder to all climbers to double check each other's work. Even the most experienced climbers sometimes forget.

[Cos]

.

[hampstor]

One of the names released:

Ranjit Sidhu, 31, of Calgary and an unidentified 25-year-old woman were killed when they fell nearly 100 metres while rappelling from a steep wall on the west side of Heart Mountain Creek east of Canmore. The two climbers were friends and co-workers from Calgary.

The family of the woman has declined to release her name, say RCMP.



Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Up...#ixzz229csYtdT

RIP.