ROCKCLIMBING 6th July 2007 - Broken ankle, ribs and lower vertebrae, Frog Buttress, QLD
Peter Hodgkinson
Frog Buttress, QLD
A 29-year-old climber of several years experience was attempting
Resurrection Corner at Frog Buttress. This was the first climb of a
planned days outing. Weather conditions were cool and fine, with
strong winds.
The climber was being spotted as he climbed up to a ledge and placed
his first piece of gear (a SLCD) into the bottom of the crack system.
He was now approximately 6 metres off the ground. As he moved up, he
bumped the cam with his elbow and noticed that it was now in a less
secure position. He made a conscious decision to climb to a better
stance and place some more protection. As he climbed, his foot slipped
and he fell. The solitary cam was dislodged.
The belayer saw the climber fall backwards, landing on his back half
way down the ledge. His fall continued and he landed on his back
again, this time on the ground. He then continued to roll a further 8
meters down the slope.
He ended up on his side with his back facing down the hill. He was
conscious and coherent throughout the entire rescue. During his fall,
his helmet (a bicycle helmet) was cracked at the rear in a few places.
The climber remembers hitting his head fairly hard on his first impact
with the ledge. Other climbers on the scene came quickly to lend
assistance. The casualty was in an awkward position so packs and rocks
were used to support his body. From this position he wasn't moved
until about an hour later when he was carried out. Ambulance arrived
at the scene about 20 minutes after the initial 000 call. The
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, and the State Emergency Service
turned up soon after. A helicopter was also called, but the strong
winds prevented a winch out. The SES conducted a stretcher carry, with
about 25 people helping. From the top of the scree slope the climber
was ferried by ambulance to the Careflight chopper, and then
transported to hospital.
The climber suffered broken lower vertebra, a broken ankle, broken
ribs, and minor internal injuries.
The victim acknowledges that placing more protection after a large run-
out is his standard practice, but failed to do so in this case. He
also has stated that care and attention is needed as you climb past
gear, as knocking it can move it into an insecure position. The use of
a helmet proved invaluable in this instance (even if only a bike
helmet).
LEVEL 3 REPORT