Sandias Accident
Tommy Guess
The following is from the Albuquerque Journal, July 6, 1996. It is one
of the more detailed newspaper articles I've seen concerning a climbing
accident. Hopefully people closer to the sources will let us know how
accurate this report is.
Report Retraces Clinbing Deaths
Leader Reached Top Before Fall
(by Cindy Glover)
Carlos Abad had made it.
The 26-year-old climber had finished a grueling day long trek to the
top of a. 817 foot granite cliff in the Sandia Mountain., when he and
two climbers below him inexplicably plummeted to their deaths, a new
report on the June 23 tragedy says.
Four members of the Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council prepared the
highly technical 12 page report after rapelling down the cliff, known
as Muralla Grande, to retrace the climbers' fall which was equivalent
to a fall off the roof of a 68-story building.
Investigators believe Abad fell first because ,of the way the bodies
landed - on top of each other with Abad on the bottom, Jane Tennessen,
33, in the middle and Glenn Tietjen, 35, on top.
Also, the ropes that stiIl connected file climber, in death were
knotted so that Tietjen and Tennessen were 10 feet apart with Abad 160
feet farther away. That led investigators to conclude that Abad was
the lead climber.
Investigators know Abed had reached the top because they found a red
helmet, gear rack and an empty cloth canteen placed neatly on the
other side of rocks that form a sort of natural guardrail.
And they believe it had began to get dark because they found a smashed
headlight at the bottom of the cliff.
Investigators said in the report that they do not believe the deaths
resulted from faulty equipment.
Marc Beverly, the lead investigator, said that when Abed fell, the
closest metal anchor to break his fall was too far below him.
So when Abad's weight finally pulled the rope tight on the anchor in
the rock face, the force of the free fall exceeded the anchor's
estimated 2,500-pound capacity, Beverly said.
That force grew as Abad fell, also ripping out the anchor supporting
the other two climbers, Beverly explained.
Adair Peterson, the council's vice chairwoman, disagreed, saying that
having his last anchor so far down was not an indication of
inexperience on Abad's part.
"The last (section of the climb) was considerably easier than the
others," she said. "I know many experienced climbers who wouldn't
have bothered to use my protective equipment at all there."
As a result of the investigation, Peterson said the council now knows
why Tennessen and Tietjen fell along with Abed.
But she said they may never know what caused Abad's fall.
"From my experience, when the leader gets to the top, you're home
free," Peterson said, her voice beginning to tremble. "All that was
left to do was for him to belay the others up. But something went
wrong - we don't know what."
Peterson said the report outlines several possibilities.
Abed could have slipped on loose rocks ,
-Gusty winds could have hampered communication or caught Abad off
balance,
Abed could have been groping in the dark for something to anchor his
rope to so he could help the nth sea, and misjudged the edge,
Or the climbers could have been tired and dehydrated and let their
guards down because they thought they were "home free."
John Razmus, a coordinator of the search and rescue team that
recovered the bodies, said the accident has ,sent shock waves through
the climbing community.
"This is the single biggest loss of life in a climbing accident in
North America in at least the last decade," said Razmus, who said he
closely monitors the American Alpine Institute's annual climbing
accident reports.
"A lot of people have climbed Mualla Grande. It's a hard climb, but
people who've made it are saying, 'How could this have happened?' 'he
said.
Ramu, said area climbers will meet July 12 to discuss the accident.
"I think we all need some closure," he said.
ehar...@unm.edu
gu...@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Tommy Guess) wrote:
> Ramu, said area climbers will meet July 12 to discuss the accident.
> "I think we all need some closure," he said.
I have been told the meeting will be at 6:00 pm at the
High Cumberland Church 8600 Aztec and Moon
Members of the Mountian Resuce will discuss the accident
investigation
Eric
EUGENE KRIEGSMANN
I have no knowledge of this particular accident, but one possibility
that was not mentioned is that one of the lower climbers in preparing
to begin climbing could have fallen pulling Abad from his stance
before he was properly anchored. Over the years I have noted a
tendency of seconds to begin breaking down systems as soon as their
leader reaches the top and before the leader is anchored. In that
case a short fall against the belay anchor could serve as sufficient
impetuous to dislodge the lead climber as he searched for an anchor.
As with all fatal accidents we will only be able to guess what
occurred. The forensics of climbing accidents are fairly poor.
Hopefully, there will never be sufficient experience with accidents
to build the art to a science.
Gene
LISARanger
Those of us who have friends in the area, would really like to know the
names of the victims..