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Myxomatosis
Nov 8, 2009, 12:07 PM
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http://tvnz.co.nz/...limber-named-3118700
A 26-year-old rock climber who was found dead in Central Otago on Saturday has been identified.
Matthew Byron Allison, a British national who has been in New Zealand since February, was found in thick scrub at the base of Chinaman's Bluff , a popular rock climbing site in the Dart River Valley, 50km northwest of Queenstown.
Allison's climbing companion, 37-year-old James Briscall of Wanaka, was rescued unharmed.
Police say both men were experienced climbers.
They say it appears that the accident happened after a rope became entangled while the pair were making their way back down the cliff face after completing the climb.
While trying to free the rope, Allison fell about 155m to his death.
Briscall says he wants to express his heartfelt sympathy to Allison's family and friends.
"Matt and I had experienced a fantastic climb and Matt had expressed how at home and how privileged he felt, to bear witness to the amazing scenery around us."
Briscall has also thanked rescue services for their efforts.
Allison's death has been referred to the coroner.
SECOND STORY.. more information
The survivor of a "freak accident" spent a night alone on a narrow ledge at an isolated cliff-face knowing his climbing companion had fallen to his death.
Search and Rescue teams yesterday morning found the body of a 26-year-old man, believed to be from Wanaka, in thick scrub at the base of Chinaman's Bluff, a cliff north of Glenorchy in the Dart River Valley near Queenstown.
Police were alerted on Friday night after the two men failed to return from a day climbing trip. Without night vision equipment, local rescue workers tried to locate the pair by yelling.
Chris Prudden of the Alpine Cliff Rescue Team said the two "reasonably experienced" climbers were believed to be from the Wanaka area and descending when tragedy struck.
Prudden said he understood the two climbers been using the same rope during the climb, which was several hundred metres high. The survivor had abseiled down the cliff and rested on a small ledge.
The 26-year-old then abseiled down but as he took the rope off to secure himself around a tree, the rope became stuck.
"He pulled the rope until it gave which threw him off balance, the branch gave way and then it was game over," Prudden said. "It was an error in judgment on how strong the tree was. The extra force threw him back and down he went with the rope. His mate was stuck up on the ledge"
The dead man fell about 200m. The surviving climber was airlifted from the ledge but first had to endure a night alone.
"Physically he [survivor] was fine," Prudden said. "He'd suffered some degree of mental trauma - he'd been sitting on a ledge to reflect overnight. Unfortunately, the other guy we couldn't do anything for. His anchor was tested beyond its holding power.
"He made a judgment and it didn't work out. Thousands of climbers have done things like that, I certainly have. It's very unfortunate."
Last night police were still trying to contact the dead man's next of kin.
Locals in Glenorchy, the closest town to the bluff, were shocked by the news of the climber's death. Many hoped it was not a friend or relative.
Jeremy Murray-Orr, head guide at Wanaka Rock Climbing, said Chinaman's Bluff, 530m of rock, was a popular climbing spot, but required a good level of skill and experience.
The most popular route was about 300m high, interspersed with rock ledges and vegetation.
"On some of those ledges it's common practice to untie, because they're quite broad and there's lots of trees on them, so they're relatively safe."
He said climbers on the way down would also often abseil from trees during their descent.
Murray-Orr said he wasn't aware of any other deaths on the bluff, and said it sounded like a "freak accident".
Wanaka-based climbing tutor Dave Shotwell said there are several different cliffs on Chinaman's Bluff, all of which are "comprehensive".
"It's pretty high and steep up there."
The bluff was for intermediate to advanced climbers.
"It's a steep climbing face."
(This post was edited by Myxomatosis on Nov 8, 2009, 2:52 PM)
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Alpine07
Nov 8, 2009, 2:23 PM
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So sorry to hear this... I can't imagine what it must have been like for is partner.
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coastal_climber
Nov 9, 2009, 7:10 AM
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That must have been one long night. Sorry to hear about this.
Always a good idea to stay tied in, no matter how large the ledge.
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Myxomatosis
Nov 9, 2009, 9:12 AM
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coastal_climber wrote: That must have been one long night. Sorry to hear about this. Always a good idea to stay tied in, no matter how large the ledge.
I think his partner has confirmed that he was anchored to a small tree or branch of a tree and it broke as he lost his balance trying to free the rope.
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seatbeltpants
Nov 9, 2009, 7:08 PM
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3046899/Climber-ignored-bolts
The ledge, from which a British man fell to his death on Friday night, had bolts which would have prevented his fall.
Instead, he tied himself to a tree.
Matthew Allison, 26, fell 155m while abseiling down Chinamans Bluff on Friday night, leaving his climbing companion stuck on a ledge overnight.
The man who plucked Mr Allison's companion from the cliff, Alpine Cliff Rescue team member Chris Prudden, said Mr Allison anchored himself to a small tree but it snapped after he threw his weight into untangling a rope.
"The force that he was putting on that branch was going to be too much," he said.
Suddenly freed from the tree, Mr Allison and the rope dropped 155m from the ledge on to the ground below.
Mr Prudden backed the comments of others in the climbing community in stressing the importance of safety. He said Mr Allison's death showed how important it was to have a secure anchor to the rock.
"It might be that the ledge gave him a false sense of security."
Both Mr Allison and his companion, James Briscall, were experienced climbers but it was often during the abseil that climbers came unstuck, he said.
"The bottom line is that more skilled climbers are killed abseiling that in any other activity. There's a tendency to think you're on the way home."
Failure of abseil anchors was often to blame, he said.
Climbing Queenstown director Dave Bolger takes groups climbing in the Queenstown area, including the occasional trip to Chinamans Bluff.
He said Mr Allison's death came down to personal safety and making sure you were secure at all times.
"Hitching yourself to a small branch 200m up the cliff is not advisable," he said. "Ultimately you want two points of contact."
Mr Bolger occasionally took people up Chinamans Bluff, but only experienced climbers.
The particular route Mr Allison and Mr Briscall took, called the Ravages of Time, was 235m high and takes most of the day to climb.
Mr Bolger said Chinamans Bluff had plenty of bolts, which were drilled into the cliff by climbers to provide more secure safety anchors. There were bolts on the ledge where Mr Allison fell to his death.
New Zealand Alpine Club executive officer Ollie Clifton said climbers were moving away from using trees or rock crevices as anchors in favour of bolts.
While it was still common to use trees as anchors, climbers had to be wary, he said.
A tree on a cliff face could look sturdy but its roots would probably be shallow, meaning it could easily rip free under too much strain.
He stressed that climbing accidents were rare but most did occur during the abseil rather than the climb.
Mr Allison's death has been referred to the coroner, who will consider cause of death and could make safety recommendations about how to prevent similar deaths in the future.
not much that i can say about this, a terrible accident which sounds like it could have been avoided - though i haven't done the route so can't really comment. my thoughts are with the partner, friends, and family.
steve
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moose_droppings
Nov 9, 2009, 8:03 PM
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My condolences to the fallen climbers family, friends and partner.
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gblauer
Moderator
Nov 9, 2009, 8:41 PM
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My condolences to family and friends of the fallen climber and his partner. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
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