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roseraie
Oct 21, 2003, 5:49 AM
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That article is very, very inaccurate. It has one age wrong (I recovered the victims' IDs, I know this for a fact), I think it has one name wrong, and the bodies were not "discovered by hikers at around 2 p.m." I SAW THEM FALL. It makes NO MENTION of the rescue efforts by the climbers at the base. Not to mention whoever wrote the damned thing has NO IDEA what an anchor is, nor can they construct sentences. "Two climbers were killed after falling to their deaths..." WTF? God, this angers me.
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roseraie
Oct 21, 2003, 5:53 AM
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Oh my God. Asa, I am very very sorry for your loss. Please tell Dave's family that I send my best regards. I am so sorry that they had to lose a husband and a father. I am so sorry.
Meg
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climbsomething
Oct 21, 2003, 6:45 AM
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Tragic. Words do not come easily in a situation like this, but for that one. My sincere condolences.
In reply to: As far as how the rest of this thread degenerated, it's not cool. Ammon is right in reminding us in times like this of safety issues. He was only trying to help. There's no reason to flame someone for pointing out something wise and valid to remember. Especially when if this was a case of anchor failure, it's some advice that could prevent a fatal situation from occuring. |
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overlord
Oct 21, 2003, 12:05 PM
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:shock: :shock: :shock: wow man :shock: :shock: :shock:
condolescences
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duskerhu
Oct 21, 2003, 1:19 PM
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It's never easy reading or hearing about accidents like this; even from half a country away!
Condolences to the families and friends of these two climbers and all the witnesses and those involved in the rescue efforts.
Art and Meg, way to keep your wits about you in the face of such a tragedy!
duskerhu
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mtnrsq
Oct 21, 2003, 3:14 PM
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Please take everything you read in the local media with a big grain of salt when it comes to situations like these. Reporters have neither the time nor the inclination to learn much detail about many stories they report on. Much of the information will likely come from second-hand sources (e.g., a Riverside Sheriff Office spokesperson), (probable) phone interviews (e.g., Bruce @ Nomad) and other quick/convenient sources.
Sad to say but these are the people shaping the general public's view of climbing.
Please convey the condolences of the mountain rescue community to the family.
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artm
Oct 21, 2003, 3:52 PM
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In reply to: Meg and Art, I'm a work associate of Dave's and a fellow climber. -Asa
I would appreciate it if you could please convey my condolences to Davids friends and family
Thank you
Art
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roseraie
Oct 21, 2003, 4:48 PM
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This one was under the headline "Equipment failure linked to two deaths."
In reply to: By KENNY KLEIN / The Press-Enterprise IDYLLWILD - The father of one of two climbers who fell 200 feet to his death from a sheer rock face said he woke up with an eerie feeling Monday. Hours later, Robert Tufo's worst fears came true. Tufo learned that his son Kelly Tufo was one of two climbers who died scaling Tahquitz Rock Sunday in the San Jacinto Wilderness after a safety device failed, authorities reported. "It was 2:30 a.m. and I just could not sleep. I thought about Kelly. I thought about his climbing. It disturbed me," the elder Tufo said by phone from his Morongo Valley home. "I just can't make sense of it." The dead were identified Monday as Kelly Tufo, 32, of Anza and David Kellogg, 41, of San Diego, Riverside County sheriff's officials reported. The bodies were discovered about 2 p.m. Sunday by hikers near Tahquitz Rock, which is in Humber Park, Hemet sheriff's Sgt. David Pike said by phone. Idyllwild firefighters and members of the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit went to the scene but it was too late. Kelly Tufo and his friend Kellogg were pronounced dead after falling 200 feet and smashing into the ground below the rock face, deputies said. A sheriff's helicopter flew the bodies out of the area about 7 a.m. Monday, Pike said. Darkness and strong winds made it unsafe for a helicopter on Sunday, Pike said. A preliminary investigation revealed the climbers were on Tahquitz Rock when their climbing anchor failed, Pike said. An anchor, commonly known as protective gear, is a metal device that is put into a rock face, said Bruce Watts, manager at Nomad Ventures, a climbing equipment business in Idyllwild. The devices are supposed to stop climbers from falling in the event of an emergency, Watts said. Kelly Tufo's father said his son, a building contractor, recently got into climbing. "Kelly always loved the outdoors," Robert Tufo said. "Since he was a boy, he loved to hike and camp." Tahquitz Rock and Suicide Rock are popular climbing spots at Humber Park, Watts said. Tahquitz Rock is about a 1,000-foot climb, he said. In 2000, two rock climbers on Tahquitz Rock also were killed. The accident occurred as one of the climbers reportedly failed to anchor himself while attempting to help his injured partner on the rock face.
I'm not a fan of this Klein guy. Way to check your facts, buddy.
In reply to: Reach Kenny Klein at (909) 763-3466 or kklein@pe.com |
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roseraie
Oct 21, 2003, 5:21 PM
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ABC News:
In reply to: Bodies of Rock Climbers Found IDYLWILD — The bodies of two Southland rock climbers who plunged to their deaths have now been recovered. The tragedy occurred Sunday at Taquitz Rock, near Idylwild in Riverside County, a popular rock climbing site. Authorities say a rack and pinion climbers use to scale rocky terrain snapped and the two men fell 6-hundred feet to the bottom of a ravine. The victims, 32 year old Kelly Tugo of Anza and 41 year old David Kellogg of San Diego, were experienced climbers.
I am not even going to comment.
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roseraie
Oct 21, 2003, 5:26 PM
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I have recieved confirmation from the girlfriend of one victim that yes, our estimate was correct. The two men were on The Step. They attempted to climb the route last weekend but had to rap off, and so they went back this weekend to finish it. Perhaps that provides some insite into what happened for the climbing community. Is anyone familiar with the route?
Meg
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curt
Oct 21, 2003, 5:27 PM
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In reply to: Authorities say a rack and pinion climbers use to scale rocky terrain snapped and the two men fell 6-hundred feet to the bottom of a ravine.
Curt
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cjain
Oct 21, 2003, 5:45 PM
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From The Desert Sun http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories2003/local/20031021040737.shtml
Climbers fall to deaths near Idyllwild
By Rick Davis
The Desert Sun
October 21, 2003
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IDYLLWILD -- Two experienced rock climbers fell to their deaths Sunday afternoon when an anchor device apparently broke loose during a climb in the Tahquitz Peak area, northeast of Idyllwild.
The victims were identified as Kelly Tufo, 32, of Anza, and David Kellogg, 41, of San Diego, whose bodies were located about 6 p.m. Sunday by the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit.
Because of darkness and rough terrain, the bodies could not be recovered from the area until Monday, according to a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department report.
Sgt. David Pike of the Sheriff’s Department Hemet station said witness statements indicated that the anchor came loose from its attachment point, causing both hikers to fall about 600 feet from a peak, which is east of Humber Park.
Pike said they apparently died on impact or shortly after. The bodies were discovered about 30 feet apart.
"Apparently, they had hiked that area a number of times," Pike said.
He said witnesses saw their fall. Although the report did not indicate the altitude in the area where the accident occurred, the altitude of the peak exceeds 8,400 feet.
Another accident near Humber Park three years ago claimed the lives of two other rock climbers.
Kwan Kam, 59, of Glendale and Kevin Dahn, 49, of Northridge, slipped while climbing on Lily Rock and fell about 100 feet to their deaths on July 16, 2000.
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Rick Davis is a sports reporter for The Desert Sun. He can be reached at (760) 778-4655.
====================================
From the LA Times http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-iebriefs21.1oct21,1,1363597.story
October 21, 2003 E-mail story Print
IN BRIEF / IDYLLWILD
2 Climbers Die in Fall After Anchor Fails
From Times Staff Reports
Two rock climbers plummeted an estimated 600 feet to their deaths Sunday when an anchor holding them failed in a area known as Tahquitz Rock.
Kelly Tufo, 32, of Anza and David Kellogg, 41, of San Diego were pronounced dead at the scene Sunday night by members of the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit.
The men were climbing in an area frequented by experienced climbers because of the rocky, steep terrain, Riverside County Sheriff's spokesman John Kaiser said.
A Riverside County sheriff's helicopter was needed to remove the bodies from the hazardous area Monday morning.
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ksolem
Oct 21, 2003, 5:51 PM
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Several years ago (a fraction of a second in geological time) a large section of "The Step" came off resulting in tons of rockfall. The section which fell was just where the route passes the left end of the huge roof of "Le Toit". The scar on the rock in this area is still visible and many trees at the base were destroyed or damaged by this event. The Step used to be a trade route seeing many ascents, but I have not seen anyone on it since the rockfall. If there is someone out there who has done this route recently maybe they can help to shed some light on what could have gone so terribly wrong up there.
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florabel
Oct 21, 2003, 6:09 PM
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I'm the wife of David Kellogg, one of the climbers that was killed Sunday at Tahquitz....I want to thank everyone for their condolences and thoughts. Special thanks to those who helped with the rescue - I know that it will hard to cope with the aftermath of such a tragic accident.
Just a little info on Dave........Dave was an experienced climber - he'd been rockclimbing for 13 years - started climbing when he was at Humboldt State.......proud papa of 2 year old Nicolas, who is learning to climb himself. Dave loved climbing - it was his passion in life besides his son. Dave and I traveled in SE Asia for 3 months in 2001 so he could climb in Thailand (loved Krabi!), Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. He will be sorely missed by family and friends - I miss him so much already.......
The Press-Enterprise article switched the ages of Dave, 32 and Kelly, 41. I've spoken to Kenny Klein - the sheriff's dept actually transposed the ages.
Thanks again everyone,
Florabel
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edge
Oct 21, 2003, 6:14 PM
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My heart goes out to you and your son, Florabel.
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climbsomething
Oct 21, 2003, 6:14 PM
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In reply to: Authorities say a rack and pinion climbers use to scale rocky terrain snapped and the two men fell 6-hundred feet to the bottom of a ravine.
A what? Pinion? What the hell is that? Piton, maybe?
600 feet or 200 feet? And hikers and climbers are not the same- at least, they shouldn't be within the same story.
But regarding the technical errors in the articles, I can also say- reporters either simply don't understand, or have to write for an audience that is not expected to understand, every technical nuance of a specific area of interest. Not to justify their errors or confusing writing per se, but not every reporter and editor is a climber and getting a crash course (if you will) in such detailed, relatively obscure terminology that seems like second nature to an experienced climber is difficult to impossible. When Klein interviewed Bruce from Nomad, perhaps Bruce himself gave Klein a hazy answer knowing that he was dealing with a non-climber; being a non-climber, perhaps Klein did not even think to ask for clarification (maybe he thought he didn't need it. He might have thought he understood.) We know that anchors are not there specifically for emergency purposes, but think about it- could you see yourself similarly explaining the purpose of your belay anchor to your mom ("what's that for?" "oh, I attach myself to it, that way, in case my partner or I accidentally slip I'll stay safe." see how it could be easily misinterpreted?)
Also, sometimes sources make the errors (as in the case with the sheriff's dept transposing the men's ages) and pass on the bad info to the reporter. Sure, there's fact checking, but if I were Klein and the sheriff told me the men were 32 and 41 respectively, I would have considered that a sufficient single source/authority. (FYI: Perhaps this isn't common knowledge in the rc.com world, but I am a reporter/journalist. That is where this little rant is coming from ;) )
Anyway. That is your little lesson in reporting etc.
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cthcrockclimber
Oct 21, 2003, 6:37 PM
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I would say something but I feel that anything I write will be inadequate. So all I can say is my heart and my sincerest condolences go out to the families and friends of these climbers. :cry:
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nnichols
Oct 21, 2003, 6:39 PM
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my heartfelt condolences and prayers to the family, friends, and climbing community for this tragic loss. :cry:
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thegreytradster
Oct 21, 2003, 7:01 PM
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First my condolences to the relatives friends and witnesses.
For the rest of us, all that can be done at this point is try to learn from what happened. Not always simple as often the true facts are impossible to determine.
The Step never was really a "trade route" and was mis-graded for many years and always had a little mystery about it. The mentioned rockfall was between The Step and Fools Rush and I don't think it affected the route, although things can change instantly. I haven't done it for a few years, but I think it was after the last major rockfall.
From Bad Traverse Ledge you do a short pitch to an uncomfortable but solid belay at a tree. You need to do this to allow enough rope for the next long pitch.
The next pitch goes up to a strenuous but very well protected move over a small roof, (5.8 on some of the older route descriptions but closer to 10b.c) There's another 10a crux after that and it is a little devious, not at all obvious how it goes. There aren't any good places to belay between the two. There is a good belay after the second crux. It's a rope stretcher with a 50m rope from the tree and I don't think you could get there with a 60m from Bad Traverse Ledge.
The next pitch goes up a right facing dihedral, (seem to remember it being rather wide) to "The Step" near its top.
From there you can go right and finish with Super Pooper or left to Fools Rush. It would be easy to get lost here and end up on Price of Fear, (a Sorensen 10c) or run out face near the top.
This area has some loose blocks and flakes also.
The following comments need to be taken only as general observations that have been getting people in trouble in recent years and may have no relevance to this event, but should be kept in mind.
Tahquitz is most properly characterized as an alpine area. It's not a sport crag or even a completely clean trad area like parts of the Valley, Suicide, Needles etc. Most climbs involve at least some spots where you must deal with less than ideal rock. You need to climb here with an alpine mind set, (minus the speed requirements). Test every thing. Even if you've done the route multiple times. Place pro to account for possibly faulty rock, not just your ability to climb it.
Even the easier trade routes involve significant route finding problems. Even in the Valley it's often possible to walk out in the meadows and scope out a route. That doesn't happen here often. If you are unsure, back off, ask for help, or go the most obvious easiest way. If you miss a pitch, it will be there later. Better than getting to a dead end with no good anchors. Making up your own variations at the top can lead to real trouble. If there's lots of lichen, there's a reason, and it's not that no one has thought of going that way before.
60M ropes have lead to many unnecessary epics here. Most of the routes here were established with 120 ft ropes and a bowline on a coil. That means that the traditional pitch lengths are around 100 ft. (120-140 ft or so with later routes done with 150s). Run out your 60M to the end and you could find yourself in a bit of a predicament with no decent anchors. When you get to a comfortable belay with a good anchor, use it. Even if it was only a 100 ft pitch.
Again this is not meant to even imply that any of these things are what happened in this incident. I climb there almost every weekend and kind of see it as my backyard playground. I just don't want to see anyone get hurt there.
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ksolem
Oct 21, 2003, 7:13 PM
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Gray - Thanks for the info. You are right, I probably used the term "trade route" a little loosely. It's just that I used to see pepole up there fairly regularly, but not anymore. And you are absolutley right on all you tips for climbing on Tahquitz. Even the "easy" routes present complicated challenges and dangers.
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jv
Oct 21, 2003, 7:23 PM
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To the families, please accept my heartfelt condolences for your loss.
In reply to: The Step never was really a "trade route" and was mis-graded for many years and always had a little mystery about it. The mentioned rockfall was between The Step and Fools Rush and I don't think it affected the route, although things can change instantly. I haven't done it for a few years, but I think it was after the last major rockfall.
I did The Step a couple of years ago with Ben Craft, well after the big earthquake. It used to be one of my favorite routes. I can say without any doubt that the Step had changed dramatically at the horizontal weakness that runs across from Fool's Rush, and which forms the overhang on Le Toit. What used to be reasonable but continuous 5.8 is now strenuous .10b/c. The rest of the pitch, including the headwall/mantle that was uprated from .8 to .10a, was exactly as it was in the 70's when I first climbed it, as was the following pitch.
That said, I'm not going to publicly speculate what caused this tragic and horrible accident. We don't know which route they were on, only that they fell from the area to the right of the Maiden buttress. Even if we knew it was The Step, I don't think it is appropriate to speculate about the possible causes in this thread where the wife of one of the victims has posted her thanks for our condolences.
JV
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robmcc
Oct 21, 2003, 8:24 PM
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I wasn't going to post here, but seeing as the wife of one of the fallen climbers did read this, I feel like I should. I have nothing new to add, no insights beyond what's already been said, but these men are in my thoughts. I imagine that's small comfort to grieving family, but I think a lot of people on the climbing community are feeling a tiny piece of your grief as well, even though we didn't know them. I am truly sorry for your loss.
Rob
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grigriese
Oct 21, 2003, 8:53 PM
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florabel - my heart goes out to you, your son and the Klein family for your mutual loss.
It is unfortunate that the reporters in their effort to write news didn't take the time to do so accurately.
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runningclimber
Oct 21, 2003, 9:06 PM
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Wow. I guess I am jumping on this one a little bit late, but I also offer my sincerest condolences to the friends and families of the two climbers. And to all who witnessed this incident...I cannot even imagine. Way to keep it together.
Meg, hang in there, girl. Feel free to drop me a line if you need to talk or anything.
~shelby
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hangerlessbolt
Oct 21, 2003, 11:28 PM
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I feel my eyes welling up with tears…
I feel terrible about what happened.
Terrible
-Robert
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