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TAS climbing fatality??


IdratherbeclimbingM9

20-Feb-2006
8:32:55 AM

Thank you Ian for your post.
To my knowledge I never met Ken but I feel I know him as a person through your post, and there are many of us who resonate with your sentiment.

BA wrote;
>(snip).
I find myself agreeing with another good post.

anna brooks

2-Mar-2006
9:32:35 AM

I am the partner (de facto and climbing partner) of Ken McConnell, who died after a fall while abseiling off a climb on Tassie's Mt Wellington. If you want the facts (and there are lots of non-facts being circulated), please read the forthcoming Rock magazine, in which I have written exactly what happened. But to clear up some obvious mistakes: Ken did not stand up and stagger after his fall to the first ledge. He was completely unconscious, and not replying to my calls to him, nor moving at all. After a little time he did move slightly (just a movement of his limbs, but he was still lying down). Again he did not respond to my calls, but the movement was enought to cause him to fall further. He was obviously quite unconscious. Yes, Ken was 54 years old. I am 47, not 45. Ken and I have done lots of climbing together, over the past 4 years since we met, and both us had climbed with others prior to meeting each other. Yes, Ken climbed a lot in the 1970s with Lyle Closs and others, and is recorded in the Tassie Organ Pipes guide as being on the first ascents of some climbs on the Lost World. In addition Ken has done plenty of mountaineering, his primary passion, including reaching 8300m on the north side of Everest in 1999 (I have corresponded with the leader of that trip, Russell Brice who gave me this information). Ken loved the Himalayas and the Nepali people. I went on two trips there with him in 2003 and 2005, so he was still active in this area. Was I "rescued"? Well certainly I could not move anywhere initially, having no rope as it was on Ken, so I did need rescuing in that sense. But after Alan Williams (alone) abseiled down to me, we both abseiled down to Ken and we both collaborated to try to resuscitate him. So after Alan got me, I feel I was an active participant in trying to rescue Ken. After Ken was lifted off in a helicopter, Alan and I both abseiled down the rest of the cliff in the dark with only one torch between us. Alan did a wonderful job, very modest about it. He and his partner Eloise were very good to me. Yes, Ken was a psychiatrist (not head of the Accident and Emergency department at the Royal Hobart Hospital, as wrongly reported in the Dundee courier). I am a psychologist and Ken and I both work in different teams in the Hobart mental health service. Ken did some work at the RHH but mostly worked in community teams. He is very missed, and yes he was a gentle soul with a wonderful wit. He had a great joy and enthusiasm for the outdoors.


nmonteith

2-Mar-2006
9:37:08 AM

Thanks for clearing things up Anna.


Phil Box

2-Mar-2006
6:10:14 PM

Thanks Anna for helping us understand what happened. I am very much looking forward to the up coming issue of Rock mag.

To all, this is a salutary lesson for all of us to remember for future reference that threads like these are read by those that are closely associated with accidents. We have seen this time and again on rockclimbing.com and now we have very real proof of this on chockstone. I implore us all to be sensitive in these threads to those who have suffered loss.

You've exhibited great strength of character to put your thoughts down for us to read Anna, very much obliged. It is through people like yourself that others can give themselves a little pause and think before commiting to an action with consequences out on the mountains. I firmly believe that education is the best defence for the risky activities that we pursue with our own unique passion.

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