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regularjohn
Sep 28, 2010, 7:58 AM
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Kurt Albert, the man who invented redpointing in the German Frankenjura, was seriously injured yesterday in a via ferrata accident.
There have been rumors that Kurt died in the accident, but this is not true. He is in intensive care in a German hospital at this point, his condition is life-threatening.
http://www.spiegel.de/...,1518,720036,00.html (in German)
Our thoughts are with him. Let's hope for the best.
(This post was edited by regularjohn on Sep 28, 2010, 3:05 PM)
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iknowfear
Sep 28, 2010, 9:33 AM
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condolence! RIP.
He was one of the fathers of modern day sports climbing! He will be missed!
Hang in there!
-- edited to remove premature condolences
(This post was edited by iknowfear on Sep 28, 2010, 1:24 PM)
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iknowfear
Sep 28, 2010, 11:51 AM
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MODS: Please lock /or hide this thread.
Apparently, as of now, Kurt Albert is still in intensive care, on artificial respiration. Although, sadly with little to no hope.
http://www.bergleben.de/...rd-noch-beatmet.html
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regularjohn
Sep 28, 2010, 12:02 PM
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iknowfear is right. The information about Kurt's death on wikipedia has been removed and this newspaper article states that internet rumors of his demise are wrong:
http://www.bild.de/...olizei-raetselt.html
At least, a little hope...
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wonderwoman
Sep 28, 2010, 12:49 PM
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regularjohn -
As the original poster, please rename the title of the thread. I will move this to Injuries and Accidents. You can also edit your original post that says that he has passed away.
I am always sorry to hear about things like this. Here is hoping for the best possible outcome for him and comfort to his friends and family.
(This post was edited by wonderwoman on Sep 28, 2010, 12:50 PM)
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sungam
Sep 28, 2010, 3:06 PM
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regularjohn wrote: At least, a little hope...
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boymeetsrock
Sep 28, 2010, 5:35 PM
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Fingers crossed here too!
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regularjohn
Sep 29, 2010, 7:41 AM
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As confirmed by German media, Kurt lost the struggle against his injuries last night. The climbing community has lost one of its most valued members. He was truly a living legend.
We will miss you, Kurt.
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gblauer
Moderator
Sep 29, 2010, 12:12 PM
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Rest in Peace
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boymeetsrock
Sep 29, 2010, 1:07 PM
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Very sad news... RIP. Condolences to friends and family.
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sonso45
Sep 29, 2010, 4:16 PM
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He was an inspiration to many and one of my heros. RIP Kurt.
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robdotcalm
Sep 29, 2010, 8:49 PM
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It’s sad news that Kurt Albert died. His definition of red point (Rotpunkt) has had an amazing influence on climbing. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, never in the history of climbing have so many climbers owed so much to so few words. And as Albert emphasized it was a definition not a statement of morality. The brilliance of the definition lay in its simplicity and its ease of understanding and to its cogency to crag climbing as a discipline in its own right as distinct from mountaineering. Of course, Albert went on to extend his concept of “free climbing” to high peaks around the world. There are few who can match the influence he had on the development of the sport.
One can’t help but note the irony of his fatal accident being on a via ferrata, apparently guiding tourists. It will be of interest to learn more of the details of this accident.
Condolences to his family, friends and climbing partners.
Rob.calm
(This post was edited by robdotcalm on Oct 15, 2010, 1:40 PM)
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iknowfear
Sep 29, 2010, 11:04 PM
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A great loss! Your eternal flame will forever shine on.
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Bats
Sep 30, 2010, 12:03 AM
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Surely Majid will get the details and post them. Via Ferrata? Was it rotten? Was cable missing?
A great loss.
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climboard
Sep 30, 2010, 12:21 AM
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We've lost one of the great ones. Rest in peace.
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kachoong
Oct 4, 2010, 1:21 PM
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RIP Kurt Albert! You will be missed and never forgotten.
You helped inspire me in my early climbing years... it was that famous picture of Albert holding the pint of beer in that old Salewa ad, which I put up on my wall, that helped make me realise that anything is possible... at the time they were the two things that made me tick; climbing and beer!
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irukandji
Oct 15, 2010, 12:05 PM
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He's now at the big crag-party with Osman, Berhauld, Gullich and all the bad-ass awesomeness.
R.I.P
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iknowfear
Nov 19, 2010, 1:00 PM
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According to the police Report paraphrased in the latest "klettern" (german climbing magazine), the cause of the accident was an "unlocked" locking Biner that separated from the sling. According to witnesses, Kurt wanted to sit in his harness and fell, with the sling in his hand. The Biner stayed on the Cable.
Personally, (as well as others in german climbing Forums) i think the failure mode points to a Biner with rubber on a long sling, similar to what is demonstrated in this video.
I fail to see how a simply unlocked biner can separate from the sling, an then stay on the cable.
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JAB
Nov 19, 2010, 5:36 PM
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iknowfear wrote: According to the police Report paraphrased in the latest "klettern" (german climbing magazine), the cause of the accident was an "unlocked" locking Biner that separated from the sling. According to witnesses, Kurt wanted to sit in his harness and fell, with the sling in his hand. The Biner stayed on the Cable. Personally, (as well as others in german climbing Forums) i think the failure mode points to a Biner with rubber on a long sling, similar to what is demonstrated in this video. I fail to see how a simply unlocked biner can separate from the sling, an then stay on the cable.
Do you know if he was simply using a girth hitched sling, or a via ferrata set? Via ferrata sets have 2 carabiners, so in that case, had he not clipped both?
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iknowfear
Nov 21, 2010, 4:23 PM
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JAB wrote: iknowfear wrote: According to the police Report paraphrased in the latest "klettern" (german climbing magazine), the cause of the accident was an "unlocked" locking Biner that separated from the sling. According to witnesses, Kurt wanted to sit in his harness and fell, with the sling in his hand. The Biner stayed on the Cable. Personally, (as well as others in german climbing Forums) i think the failure mode points to a Biner with rubber on a long sling, similar to what is demonstrated in this video. I fail to see how a simply unlocked biner can separate from the sling, an then stay on the cable. Do you know if he was simply using a girth hitched sling, or a via ferrata set? Via ferrata sets have 2 carabiners, so in that case, had he not clipped both?
Sorry, as of now, thats all the detail I have, (translated from german to english). But yeah, regardless of ferrata set or not, Rest on TWO Points!
Edited to add :
http://www.br-online.de/...-ID1285682724842.xml
According to this, it WAS a girth-hiched Sling... (somehow google translate does not like the site), and here, according to eyewitnesses, his feet might have slipped.
(This post was edited by iknowfear on Nov 21, 2010, 4:41 PM)
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iknowfear
Jul 11, 2011, 3:48 PM
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So, according to "BergundSteigen" it was a girth hiched Sling that came undone while taking a picture - the sling resting on top of the biner and then unclipping itself.
http://www.bergundsteigen.at/...krautundruabn%29.pdf
"Dabei verzichtete er meist auf eine Sicherung und verwendete lediglich eine Bandschlinge als Selbstsicherung, die er nur gelegentlich in das Drahtseil einhängte, wenn er an einer Passage warten wollte. Um zu fotografieren clippte er seine Schlinge ins Drahtseil und setzte sich in seine Selbstsicherung. Wie in der Abbildung dargestellt, hängte sich dabei versehentlich seine Selbstsicherung aus. Ein heimtückischer Mechanismus, der dem erfahrenen Extremkletterer zum Verhängnis wurde. Drei ähnliche Unfaälle sind in unserer Datenbank dokumentiert."
(This post was edited by iknowfear on Jul 11, 2011, 3:53 PM)
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sbaclimber
Jul 11, 2011, 4:54 PM
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iknowfear wrote: So, according to "BergundSteigen" it was a girth hiched Sling that came undone while taking a picture - the sling resting on top of the biner and then unclipping itself. [image]http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=5820[/image] http://www.bergundsteigen.at/...krautundruabn%29.pdf "Dabei verzichtete er meist auf eine Sicherung und verwendete lediglich eine Bandschlinge als Selbstsicherung, die er nur gelegentlich in das Drahtseil einhängte, wenn er an einer Passage warten wollte. Um zu fotografieren clippte er seine Schlinge ins Drahtseil und setzte sich in seine Selbstsicherung. Wie in der Abbildung dargestellt, hängte sich dabei versehentlich seine Selbstsicherung aus. Ein heimtückischer Mechanismus, der dem erfahrenen Extremkletterer zum Verhängnis wurde. Drei ähnliche Unfaälle sind in unserer Datenbank dokumentiert."
I speculate, a deadly mixture of complacency and distraction. 
I know I am guilty both all too often...
(This post was edited by sbaclimber on Jul 11, 2011, 4:56 PM)
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