|
gblauer
Moderator
Mar 24, 2007, 3:28 AM
Post #26 of 38
(4321 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 4, 2002
Posts: 2824
|
WOW, that's quite a story Ed. I am so relieved to hear that you (and your partner) are home from the hospital and are already on the mend. I have been emailing Milton everyday to find out about your condition.
Tami, take good care of yourself and Ed.
We are thinking about you,
Gail and Mitch
|
|
|
|
|
slockwoo_knits
Mar 24, 2007, 7:39 PM
Post #27 of 38
(4272 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 30, 2005
Posts: 33
|
Yay Ed! Thanks for posting! It is incredible that you are ok. Heal fast!
|
|
|
|
|
thomasribiere
Mar 24, 2007, 7:47 PM
Post #28 of 38
(4269 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 24, 2002
Posts: 9306
|
chill41 wrote: Wow Ed, glad to hear you and your partner aren't too seriously hurt. What really strikes me about this accident is that it happened while you were doing what you do best ...putting up long and amazing routes for climbers of all abilities. Thanks so much for all the great work! Best of luck with your recovery...and here's hoping that route gets finished without anymore trouble! chill
|
|
|
|
|
billcoe_
Mar 25, 2007, 1:13 AM
Post #29 of 38
(4248 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 30, 2002
Posts: 4694
|
First: let me say that Rusty can belay me anytime, day or night. Dudes rocks for having kept it together and you on.
I read these fu*ked up stroies of belayers dropping people for no know reason, usually in the gym. Yet there you were, 10 pitches up, bet the position wasn't the best, dude gets full-on smacked and keeps you under control.
That there, my friends: is a BELAYER.
Second: good to hear things will eventually be fine for you Ed. Thanks for sharing the story with us all as well.
regards
Bill
|
|
|
|
|
robdotcalm
Mar 25, 2007, 4:29 PM
Post #30 of 38
(4217 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 31, 2002
Posts: 1027
|
Ed:
When I’m teaching beginners about traditional climbing, I state that it’s more important for belayers to wear helmets than leaders. I’m not sure I really believe that but I like to emphasize bad things that can happen to belayers. Your account of the accident will provide a good example to give to the students, especially about not taking the helmet off on a hot day when belaying the leader on a multi-pitch route..
How you and Rusty handled the situation was exemplary and inspiring. Best wishes for a speedy and robust recovery. We’re rooting for you.
Cheers,
Rob.calm
|
|
|
|
|
markanite
Mar 25, 2007, 7:36 PM
Post #31 of 38
(4211 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 30, 2003
Posts: 282
|
Just heard about this. Get better Ed! Anyone know if there is some way we can help?
|
|
|
|
|
lhwang
Mar 26, 2007, 3:31 AM
Post #32 of 38
(4181 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 4, 2005
Posts: 582
|
Ed, wow. Glad to hear you're on the mend. Get well soon.
|
|
|
|
|
bobby
Mar 29, 2007, 6:47 PM
Post #33 of 38
(4095 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 3, 2005
Posts: 1
|
Ed,
You certainly are a fortunate guy for surviving such a calamity. I wish you a speedy recovery. I am also glad to know that Tami will be there to make sure your not up on that route trying to finish the bolting work this weekend.
Heal up and think about coming to Fort Collins in July for our wedding. It would be great to have you and Tami here with us for this event.
Rest well,
Bobby Young
|
|
|
|
|
CoolSloan
Mar 31, 2007, 7:14 AM
Post #34 of 38
(4040 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 24, 2007
Posts: 1
|
Sorry to hear of this incident. Hope you heal up fine Ed and thanks for all your efforts in Potrero Chico. At least you didn't take out a building this time (Access Denied) but the local authorities may offer official support to keep folks clear when you are doing new route from here on in.
I was down the week before this happened and met Ed and donated some climbing harnesses for his climbing school. I was hanging with Rusty and Greg for a week and kept watch on the road one day when Rusty and Gildas were cleaning the lower half of this new route.
Here's Rusty's story.
"Bergheil mes amigos,
The reports of my death are greatly exagerated.
There! I've always wanted to say that!........
Even if you didnt see the rather gory shots of Ed and I on local TV you
may have heard on the epiccing grapevine that there were "problemas in
Paradise".....
Even when I went back to bed after getting Greg and Gildas headed to the
aeropuerto, I didnt feel so hot. Flailing up Salem with Greg the day
before got me back into flu mode.
Eventually I hauled my sorry arse up to the base of the TNT Wall, to find
that Ed was already 4 pitches up and my helmet was 400ft down, where I had
left it in the truck. I didnt have the oomph to go back for it so I
decided to POR (press on regardless).
I knew that Ed was too high to drop rocks on me and I also knew that I had
a good site to belay him from for the FINAL pitch of the climb; I would be
under a small protective roof, well off to the left of the face he would
be aiding. I could let him go first on the descent.
Having such great powers of deductive reasoning, I was confident that I
had made a reasonable decision (even tho the kids laughed at me in Hueco
tanks when I wore my helmet bouldering).
It was going great. There were already 2 bolts in from our previous
efforts . Ed had rapped from the top one (when I was right underneath) and
then jugged back on it to his hi point. He had about 30ft to go to the top
of the pillar, the end of the climb and the finish of my shift.
He placed a bomber "Kaptain" hook behind a block, stood up boldly and
pinged off when the hook blew -- pretty normal stuff that had happened
pretty regularly so far : thats why he places so many pro bolts when he
(we) aid.
I held him very easily on my GriGri - hardly felt the weight of his skinny
arse in fact. Then there was a slight tremor, transmitted through the rock
of the belay bolts; then a nauseous grating sound, then....I dont really
know. The next 30 secs are temporarily expunged from my memory banks.
Next thing I'm sort of hanging from my "protective" overhang where most of
my upper bones and soft tissue have been smeared and stretched between my
3 anchor clips and ...???????, with Ed hanging from the first (and only
remaining) bolt and complaining about my lack of prompt attention. All
around is a fine tangle of lead ropes, 2 static lines, electrical cable
and other assorted shit.
Eventually I figured out that the lead rope was unscathed and as i lowered
him to the convenient portaledge on the pitch below I sort of flowed out
of my batshit position and figured out that I wasnt now totally blind,
just gummed up with blood and assorted gore.
Eventually I rejoined him down there without getting electrocuted,
unclipped from the system or giving in to the very pleasant visions I was
having of cold beer and dancing girls.
I sort of untangled him, salvaged some bits and pieces of climbing gear,
scattered hither and yon, and got him down to the foot of the pillar.
Here I met a nice young man who had "come to help". I was doing quite well
lecturing him on first aid, lowering protocols and other useful things to
get us all down the final 500ft when a second fellow arrived and whispered
to me that I was harranging an ER doctor who solos Big Walls.
Seems having my head and face caked in blood and stuff wasnt doing my
credibility as a cogent rescue leader much good so I allowed myself to be
"helped" down the fixed ropes, leaving the lads to do a great job with Eds
final lowering.
Seems the reason that help had arrived so quickly was that the whole top
of the pillar had cut loose and bombarded the arroyo and climbers below.
Somewhere in all that rock was the piece that had held the second bolt.
What I had been leader-belaying was Ed AND a ton or two of limestone
block. Quite why the block became disconnected from the lead rope before
it had squishoed the whole team is something not yet fully understood.
Ed is stable, with a sorry right side to him wher the block brushed
against him -- dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, punctured lung -- stuff
like that. He's patched up and recovering. Back home today for a week or 2
flat-on-his-back.
I had my stitches out today, can almost wipe my bum without grimacing and
am not sure I want to recover my memory of 30 secs inside a rockfall."
|
|
|
|
|
flamer
Apr 3, 2007, 12:44 AM
Post #35 of 38
(3949 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 22, 2002
Posts: 2955
|
potreroed wrote: Jeff from Boulder.
Jeff is from Salida...not that it matters! He post's on this site as cologman.
Glad you are doing better!
josh
|
|
|
|
|
reno
Apr 3, 2007, 1:34 AM
Post #36 of 38
(3930 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 30, 2001
Posts: 18283
|
Damn.
Heal up quick, Ed. And big props to Rusty, your belayer. Hope he heals quickly, too.
Glad y'all are both OK.
|
|
|
|
|
cliffmama
Apr 14, 2007, 7:14 PM
Post #37 of 38
(3818 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 16, 2003
Posts: 65
|
Wow, so glad that you guys are going to be OK. Heal fast & good luck to Tami.
So, did your hospital have toilet seats? I ended up there my last day in Potrero at the end of Feb when rockfall almost hit me on the ground, but I ran out of the way quickly, but a bit too fast, lost my footing and fell on the steep trail, slamming my chest into a rock step. Everyone at the hospital in Monterrey was very nice, however, I did find it peculiar that the ladies room had no toilet paper, no lock on the door, and no toilet seat. However, my ambulance ride, xrays, IV meds, doctor care all came to only $55. I guess they should charge more and buy toilet seats! I was lucky, I got away with only bruised ribs, nothing broken. But it hurt like hell to sneeeze or cough for about 3 weeks. With your injuries, it must be horrible!
Anyway, good luck Ed, hopefully you'll healed up soon! Hope to see you back on the rocks next winter in Potrero when I'll likely be back to visit. Give Tami a hug for me (but no hugs for you! Ouch!).
Jannette
|
|
|
|
|
Nuggular
Jul 7, 2008, 7:30 PM
Post #38 of 38
(3493 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 2, 2007
Posts: 16
|
I just met Ed at Devil's Lake, WI last Saturday. We did some climbing with him and he told us about the accident. I just wanted to let everyone know that Ed has recovered very well and was hard at work on Gill's Crack 5.10c.
(This post was edited by Nuggular on Jul 7, 2008, 7:31 PM)
|
|
|
|
|
|
