Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - Accidents & Injuries

Report Accidents and Injuries

Author

TAS climbing fatality??


belayslave

22-Jan-2006
9:49:10 AM

I'm trying to gather information -->

I heard on the radio 10 minutes ago that there has been a death of a climber in Hobart (while climbing).
There has been no names released and i can't find any further details on the net.
I spoke to a paramedic friend of mine in Hobart and he lacks any further details as well but the death has
been confirmed.

I know most people on these forums are mainlanders but does anyone have any information at all?? I am
extremly worried.
Thanks,
Chris Hampton

Darrren

22-Jan-2006
1:13:07 PM

I heard about it from a friend in germany and it is not in the paper

Im worried to and will have to make a few calls to see if it was anyone from the tassie crew

Sorry to hear that the death is confermed

Danger Darren

I just realised i meet Ken on the pipes once he was happy to chat and give from his exprience encouragement to anyone, he was a real climber, which are few and far between these days.

Alan

22-Jan-2006
2:05:50 PM

Chris, I was there and rapped in to help the deceased and his partner, police will release names and details soon but I don't think it was anyone you would know well, I don't think i had met them before. Call me if you want to know more.

Alan Williams


belayslave

22-Jan-2006
6:03:44 PM

Al,
I really appreciate your call earlier. I hope you're doing ok, i can only imagine how hard it was for you up
there.
My sincere condolences to the deceased's partner. I know it has shocked and worried the climbing
community.
Chris.


rich

23-Jan-2006
5:03:05 AM

hi, i know a few people down there at the moment, any more details please? which state are they are a resident of?
cheers


oweng

23-Jan-2006
8:19:47 AM

The local newspaper is reporting that the climber was a 54 year old man who was climbing with a 45 year old woman. No further details have been released.


belayslave

23-Jan-2006
9:26:38 AM

http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17905498%255E3462,00.html

The local papers article on the accident.

deadpoint

23-Jan-2006
9:39:43 AM

It will be interesting to get the whole story, Alan did the news report accurately reoprt the situation?

dave

23-Jan-2006
6:37:45 PM

Is it known yet whether those involved were Hobart locals or people travelling in the area...it really hits home hard when it could be someone you know...

Alan

24-Jan-2006
6:56:31 AM

deadpoint,
The article in the paper didn't really say allot about what happened most of it seemed to be the opinions of "Hone" the guy who heard their calls for help at about 4:30 PM and called the police/SES. My partner and I didn't get to the pipes until about 7 PM for a quick after work climb and first saw that they were in trouble at about 8 when we reached the top of Northern Butress, so not too sure about what happened before then. I know his wife (also his climbing partner) and his son were not impressed with the article. I think some of the things Hone said were a bit insensitive and were really just opinion rather than what happened and the hero pose photo complete with rope over the shoulder looking proud as punch was really unessessary...
But then you can't expect much from the press. (also the previous accident they mentioned in 2001 to my knowledge was not a climber but a bushwalker who fell scrambling, serious climbing accidents on the pipes are quite rare)

Alan

deadpoint

25-Jan-2006
11:46:52 AM

My impressions exactly, his comment on staying still does not make a lot of sense, the injured climber may have be partially concsious and not in control of his motor functions.
But then again a lot of things I comment on don't make a lot of sense either


Richard

25-Jan-2006
1:02:57 PM

whilst the paper should also take care not to publish hearsay as if it is fact, you should be carefull what you say to a paper beciase you should know they don't seem to worry about accuracy and checking facts much...

it is someone's husband, someone's father thay are talking about, someone who was no doubt dearly loved and will be greatly missed..

climbingjac

25-Jan-2006
1:58:41 PM

I just read the newspaper article as per the link provided in an above reply. It says:

"Mr Pita said he ran up to the lookout on the mountain summit and guided police to the area where he had heard the yelling. He gave a police officer a climbing harness which was used to lean over the edge of the cliffs to try to see and hear where the yells had come from."

The article doesn't say if the policeman was experienced in being lowered over the edge of a cliff, or abseiling as the case may be. Does anyone know if this is a standard skill taught to all police?

NEVERCLIMBED32

25-Jan-2006
2:16:01 PM

Lots of conjecture here and scant facts as is typical with this subject.
Refer to previous tread "Arapilies - Fatalities" for discussion on this topic.

http://www.chockstone.org/Forum/Forum.asp?Action=DisplayTopic&ForumID=5&MessageID=1357&Replies=33&PagePos=20&Sort=LastMessage#newpost

Gerry Narkowicz

25-Jan-2006
9:39:01 PM

I heard that it was a guy named Ken, 54 yrs old with his 45 yr old wife. They were climbing `Battlements' grade 15 and had an epic. They decided to rap off about 15m from the top. He placed a wire and a sling on a chockstone. The anchor failed, he fell to a ledge about 20m below; then stood up, staggered and fell off that ledge further down the cliff to his death. Al Williams and his partner were climbing on Northern Butttress and witnessed some of the accident - then rapped in, rescued his poor wife and tried to rescusitate him to no avail. This is the first ever fatality from rockclimbing in Tassie.

neverclimbed50

11-Feb-2006
8:20:58 PM

I just got a text from a good friend to say her psychiatrist had died in a climbing accident. Through your/this site I was alble to track down more details in Scottish newspapers. Full details on the climber available here.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16637218&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=mountaineer-doc-killed-in-fall-on--molehill---name_page.html

http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=485&id=138872006

http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=485&id=138872006

ithomas

16-Feb-2006
11:01:33 AM

Ken McConnell was not a bushwalker or inexperienced climber. He was a gentle soul with a wicked wit. Many Tasmanian climbers such as Lyle Closs, Ian Lewis, Bob McMahon, Bryan Kennedy and loads of others enjoyed days out with Ken in the early and mid seventies. Mainlanders including Peter Morris and Ben Maddison were also very good friends of Ken. Ken was a noted repository of Tasmanian rockclimbing folklore up until the point where sportclimbing accelerated change. He completed his medical degree and was a highly competent, supportive and socially progressive doctor. Although he never climbed at the highest levels on rock, he became a very skilled mountaineer. Unlike many of us, Ken never blew his own trumpet and so, rather than having him be remembered in a forum such as this as - "some guy called Ken", I feel that someone should blow it for him. Ken was a good bloke and a climber - a real climber.
Ian Thomas

simey

16-Feb-2006
4:12:43 PM

Thanks for that Ian. It is good to hear something about Ken's background and learn that he was a good bloke and climber. I was hoping someone would shed some more light on the deceased. Very tragic.


Phil Box

17-Feb-2006
9:56:26 AM

I too would add my vote of thanks to Ian for that tribute to a person that we would otherwise know as some bloke called Ken. Thanks for taking up the trumpet and blowing it for Ken.

17-Feb-2006
1:53:57 PM

Good on you 'Zoo.

So often the life of someone passes unnoticed by the majority or the 'new-comers'. That is one of the reasons why I put "Appeal (For The Unknown First Climber)" by Lyle Closs into the North Grampians guide. There are so many stories of friendship, of epics and plain old-fashioned fun that make up climbing's history that remain unknown - except to the participants. If you were there, you are a part of it and it is a part of you. Keep your memories close and keep your dreams alive.

There are 24 messages in this topic.