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Hollow mountain accident 28/4/2018

Olbert

1-May-2018
11:30:05 AM

If it was only a broken ankle...could old mate have hobbled out? I mean, it would have been an unpleasant journey but hobbling on two friends shoulders would have gotten him back to the carpark eventually.

Mr Poopypants

1-May-2018
11:39:48 AM

On 1-May-2018 deadbudgy wrote:
>On 1-May-2018 JimmyS wrote:
>>...All these new bouldering gyms are going to have to do fall passes
>for
>>all these new climbers. They can attach their newly acquired fall passes
>>to their beanies.
>>
>
>You may laugh but this is part of the entry requirements to one of the
>trendy new gyms in Sydney. You need to demonstrate than you know how to
>land arse first before they will sign off your waiver

Finally, a climbing skill I can master!
G.

Hairy1

1-May-2018
1:36:05 PM

Using a hoist is supposed to be the option of last resort in helicopter rescue operations, (due to the level of danger) but the prospect of doing this sort of job is kinda exciting... Perhaps VCC or similar could provide foot/vehicle cliff access info to ambulance so they can land on nearby and avoid hoist operations where appropriate?


Duang Daunk

1-May-2018
1:44:14 PM

Bro’s Doug Scott and Joe Simpson dragged themselves back to civilisation with shattered leg bones...
They are real climber adherents to the adage of self rescue.

Today’s namby pamby poor me boulderers are a sorry excuse for climbing by comparison.

kieranl

1-May-2018
2:36:20 PM

On 1-May-2018 Hairy1 wrote:
>Using a hoist is supposed to be the option of last resort in helicopter
>rescue operations, (due to the level of danger) but the prospect of doing
>this sort of job is kinda exciting... Perhaps VCC or similar could provide
>foot/vehicle cliff access info to ambulance so they can land on nearby
>and avoid hoist operations where appropriate?

I for one was glad to not have to do the carry-out. Would have been the second night-time carry-out in three days. One other SES and at least one paramedic had also been at the Arapiles accident. And spare a thought for the Stawell SES : they had already been to a patient at the Pinnacle earlier on Saturday, then to Stapylton in the evening. They then got woken up for a truck crash about 3am on Sunday followed by the Venus Baths fall later on Sunday. That's a heavy weekend for a small group of volunteers.

jacksonclimbs

1-May-2018
3:31:18 PM

On 1-May-2018 ajfclark wrote:
>I can't see anything on https://www.instagram.com/jacksonclimbs/ about
>this? Am I looking at the right one?
>
>Wet With Excitement and The Tunnel are both definitely high enough to
>break an ankle.

Yeah it was a story on instagram, they expire after 24 hours.

Wendy

2-May-2018
8:23:18 AM

On 1-May-2018 kieranl wrote:
>On 1-May-2018 Hairy1 wrote:
>>Using a hoist is supposed to be the option of last resort in helicopter
>>rescue operations, (due to the level of danger) but the prospect of doing
>>this sort of job is kinda exciting... Perhaps VCC or similar could provide
>>foot/vehicle cliff access info to ambulance so they can land on nearby
>>and avoid hoist operations where appropriate?
>
>I for one was glad to not have to do the carry-out. Would have been the
>second night-time carry-out in three days. One other SES and at least one
>paramedic had also been at the Arapiles accident. And spare a thought for
>the Stawell SES : they had already been to a patient at the Pinnacle earlier
>on Saturday, then to Stapylton in the evening. They then got woken up for
>a truck crash about 3am on Sunday followed by the Venus Baths fall later
>on Sunday. That's a heavy weekend for a small group of volunteers.

That is a lot of work for volunteers. I am of the school of thought that if something is an essential service, we shouldn't have to rely of volunteers for it, but then, i'm not exactly a neoliberalist.

I think the point is that historically, someone would probably get themselves out with their mates. I've hobbled on friend's shoulders, been carried, used sticks, crawled on my bum, done a sort of side saddle scoot on a bike and hitched to get myself out of places with a bung ankle. Most of us have done something similar or heard stories of similar retreats. When mobile phones made calling for rescue easier than getting yourself out, it seems a lot more people choose to call for rescue.

dalai

2-May-2018
9:35:05 AM

On 2-May-2018 Wendy wrote:
>I think the point is that historically, someone would probably get themselves
>out with their mates. I've hobbled on friend's shoulders, been carried,
>used sticks, crawled on my bum, done a sort of side saddle scoot on a bike
>and hitched to get myself out of places with a bung ankle. Most of us have
>done something similar or heard stories of similar retreats. When mobile
>phones made calling for rescue easier than getting yourself out, it seems
>a lot more people choose to call for rescue.

Agreed and same!

kieranl

2-May-2018
11:24:59 AM

To be fair, the guys at Legoloand told me that they first tried to carry their friend out.

gfdonc

2-May-2018
12:20:08 PM

Interesting case in point:
Last month we (no names) were in at Wurzlegummage Walls when the wife ("X") of one of the climbers decided to de-camp back to the car by herself and drive back to base. We were up the RH end and didn't know this, until we heard screams coming from the LH end of the cliff.

Fearing the worst, we dropped everything (3 of us happened to all be on the ground), grabbed a spare rope, first aid kit and PLB and ran for it.

Turned out X had slipped on one of the rockier sections of track, fallen badly and made a major gash in her shin. There's no mobile reception there.

I had my PLB but our assessment was to self-extract, which we did. 2 of the burliest fittest guys, plus me, took turns piggy-backing down the track. About an hour later X was in Stawell hospital having 13 stitches in her lower leg, and made it back to Halls Gap for dinner.

I can't help but speculate how it might have panned out if we'd escalated the issue to the rescue services. The track is OK but steep, and I expect we'd have been waiting 1-2 hours to start the rescue process.

(removed)

2-May-2018
12:38:16 PM

On 2-May-2018 dalai wrote:
>Agreed and same!

Piggy back wasn't it ?
(You heavy ba$tard)

dalai

2-May-2018
1:02:08 PM

On 2-May-2018 FatBoy wrote:
>On 2-May-2018 dalai wrote:
>>Agreed and same!
>
>Piggy back wasn't it ?
>(You heavy ba$tard)

Be thankful you didn't have to piggyback me at my current weight!

Was very much appreciated BTW too!

johny

2-May-2018
5:30:30 PM

On 30-Apr-2018 kieranl wrote:
>Also a climber/bouderer carried out of Venus Baths yesterday. That's 3
>climbing/bouldering rescues at Arapiles/Grampians in 4 days.

So it took 4 days total time involved in each instance?

dan_b

2-May-2018
8:48:20 PM

Timely reminder to get ambulance membership

widewetandslippery

3-May-2018
6:50:25 AM

So where do people with insurance recommend getting it


Goshen

3-May-2018
1:33:36 PM

The government. Oh you mean personal accident insurance that covers climbing.... Good luck.

Olbert

3-May-2018
6:17:37 PM

I passed out at a pharmacy and had an ambulance called for me without me asking for it. I refused to ride in it and I still had to pay $500! I have no idea if it covers helicopter rides but ambulance cover is less than $50 per year and not that hard to find.

jacksonclimbs

3-May-2018
7:32:37 PM

Ambulance is covered in most health insurance.

If you don't have private health insurance, you can purchase ambulance cover or membership as they call it, directly from the ambulance Victoria website - it's about $50 for a years membership, pretty cheap really. That covers air extractions as described in this accident report.

dalai

3-May-2018
7:46:46 PM

On 3-May-2018 jacksonclimbs wrote:
>Ambulance is covered in most health insurance.

Read the PDS. You might be unpleasantly surprised how minimal ambulance coverage can be with your private health insurance!

Markg

3-May-2018
7:52:53 PM

Interesting. When I lived in Melbourne it used to be built in to the power bill and you had to buy it in Queensland. Seems it’s the opposite now. Lesson: Move to the land of sunshine and cracks.

There are 51 messages in this topic.