What happened in Heaps Canyon??

[Bo_Beck]

Just called the Spectrum and they are working on a story. Will be online soon.

Hmmmm? Wonder if it will be reported as another "Climbing Accident"?
Can they say "Biner Block" or "Contingency Anchor"? Will be interesting to find out how it happened, but then It's sad it happened at all.

[Bo_Beck]

You guys are quick to find things out!

The only reason I found out something was amiss is because I tried to get a permit.

You can get your permit now. Its opened back up.

[tanya]

You guys are quick to find things out!

The only reason I found out something was amiss is because I tried to get a permit.

You can get your permit now. Its opened back up.

Did you have to go through Heaps?

[tanya]

Just called the Spectrum and they are working on a story. Will be online soon.

Hmmmm? Wonder if it will be reported as another "Climbing Accident"?
Can they say "Biner Block" or "Contingency Anchor"? Will be interesting to find out how it happened, but then It's sad it happened at all.

What does that mean?

[rockgremlin]

I wonder how it happened. We may never know for sure, but my thinking is that it was late, he was tired from doing the entire canyon up to that point, it was dark, he was rigging his rappel by headlamp and tied into the pull cord instead of the load strand.

Or the rope which may have already been core-shot just snapped. I don't think the bolts failed.

I'm really bummed about this whole thing...very tragic.

[Bo_Beck]

You guys are quick to find things out!

The only reason I found out something was amiss is because I tried to get a permit.

You can get your permit now. Its opened back up.

Did you have to go through Heaps?

No. Went to UE Pool and spent 8 hours with a spotting scope, megaphone and camera. A group coming down helped us out with what I would have accomplished had I had to hike Heaps. Made for a much easier, less time consuming ordeal.

[Bo_Beck]

Just called the Spectrum and they are working on a story. Will be online soon.

Hmmmm? Wonder if it will be reported as another "Climbing Accident"?
Can they say "Biner Block" or "Contingency Anchor"? Will be interesting to find out how it happened, but then It's sad it happened at all.

What does that mean?

I guess as a climber, I took offense to the multitudes of stories run about "Canyoneers" being described as climbers. Several stories run in the past stated "Climber injured or killed in Zion", when in reality it was a "rapelling" accident by a "Canyoneer". Very big difference other than the end result of such a fall.

[price1869]

No. Went to UE Pool and spent 8 hours with a spotting scope, megaphone and camera. A group coming down helped us out with what I would have accomplished had I had to hike Heaps. Made for a much easier, less time consuming ordeal.

So can you give us any info? It wasn't the bolts, was it?

[Wasatch]

[quote=Iceaxe]

ICE: please elaborate on the death in Behunin. I guess I missed it the first time around. thx.

So I missed by a few years.... it sure doesn't seem like 4 years ago....

Canyoneering Fatality -Zion NP
NPS Morning Report
September 10, 2003

On Friday, September 5th, Christopher Frankewicz, 37, of Springdale, fell while descending through Behunin Canyon, a rugged canyoneering route that involves route finding, numerous rappels, and normally takes about eight hours. Frankewicz was traveling alone and intended to complete the trip in one day. Friends reported him overdue late Friday evening, and a ground search was begun early on Saturday morning. In late morning, a helicopter joined the search. Frankewicz

[Iceaxe]

very sorry to hear this,condolences to those there and family. so it was heaps not behunin.

Sorry to confuse you.... The Heaps accident happened Monday (2007) the Behunin accident happened in 2003. I just posted the Behunin report because someone asked for details about it.

[Bo_Beck]

No. Went to UE Pool and spent 8 hours with a spotting scope, megaphone and camera. A group coming down helped us out with what I would have accomplished had I had to hike Heaps. Made for a much easier, less time consuming ordeal.

So can you give us any info? It wasn't the bolts, was it?

Unfortunately I'm not allowed to elaborate any further at this point, but rest assured that the 4 bolt anchor system equalized with a cordelette to a focal anchor point with 2 screwlinks appear to be in fine condition? Heaps permits are obtainable now. The water level is quite low necessitating pack tosses, partner assists and beach whale slithers.

[Scott P]

Thanks for the info Bo.

No matter how it happened, a horrible tradgedy none the less. My prayers go out to the families.

[Brian in SLC]

This was posted on another website:

"heard they were rapping a single line with a biner block at the anchor, last guy pulled the biner and relied on a knot block which pulled through either the quicklink or bolt hangers themselves when midway down. Got the info from my co-worker at the outfitting shop here in Springdale."

I can't imagine. Wonder if the pull cords busted when the connecting knot hit the rapides? Or maybe he was over half way down...

Gives me a cold chill to even think about.

Tragic. My condolences to friends and family.

-Brian in SLC

[Wasatch]

Why would they/he remove the biner? Does not make sense to me.

[rockgremlin]

Why would they/he remove the biner? Does not make sense to me.

good question

[Brian in SLC]

Why would they/he remove the biner? Does not make sense to me.

We'll probably never know for sure.

Could have been hanging up and looked bad, from a rope pull standpoint.

I know some folks really dislike rappelling off a clove hitch on the spine of a carabiner. I usually prefer a knot block for some stuff. But, I typically clip a biner on a bite back to the rappel line, as a back up. That'd make the rope pull pretty darn hard on Heaps, though.

Also wonder if the smaller rapide isn't there anymore (seems like there used to be a 5/16" one there, in combo with a 3/8" one). Might be a bunch of biners that would fit through a large rapide, too, if oriented in the right position.

Yikes...

-Brian in SLC

[Scott P]

Why would they/he remove the biner? Does not make sense to me.

Could have been lots of reasons. Maybe another one was needed for extra friction on a leg loop. Maybe one was used to hang a pack. Maybe they were worried of the biner getting hung up on the pull (there is a bush there).

Anyway, this thread seems to be headed towards the rumor and speculation catagory. Maybe best to wait for the report.

[rockgremlin]

Anyway, this thread seems to be headed towards the rumor and speculation catagory. Maybe best to wait for the report.

And that brings me to another question...why the lengthy investigation? Typically when someone falls off Angel's Landing, or drowns in a flash flood, it hits the presses immediately...unless there is some suspicion of foul play. Or even when there's suspicion of foul play (like when that one guy "didn't push his pregnant wife off of Angel's Landing.") So why all of the hush hush over this incident? It still hasn't hit the local news yet.

[CarpeyBiggs]

Anyway, this thread seems to be headed towards the rumor and speculation category. Maybe best to wait for the report.

I concur. The two individuals in the party have asked that we refrain from speculation, and they have said they will give us full details in due time. No sense in speculating, at this point. Plus, I believe the whole matter has been handled very respectfully up to this point, and I'd hate to see it go downhill.

And that brings me to another question...why the lengthy investigation? Typically when someone falls off Angel's Landing, or drowns in a flash flood, it hits the presses immediately...unless there is some suspicion of foul play. Or even when there's suspicion of foul play (like when that one guy "didn't push his pregnant wife off of Angel's Landing.") So why all of the hush hush over this incident? It still hasn't hit the local news yet.

A quick google news check shows 5 or 6 unique outlets picked it up yesterday, including the Spectrum, SLTrib, KUTV, and ABC4, and the OC Register, where the guy was from.

Hopefully, the NPS is keeping the information under wraps, so they don't have to deal with the media frenzy we've seen at other locations in similar situations (Mt. Hood, comes to mind...)

I am glad to see it so hush-hush.

[Brian in SLC]

From another website:

"From an email (second hand, not received directly from the author)
For anyone who is interested in the accident which happened the other night in Heaps canyon, I think that I might be able to shed a little light on the subject. My party and I were the first group to go down Heaps the morning after the accident. We didn't even know there had been an accident, however, as we descended the first of the last three rappels a ranger with a mega phone called up to us and told about the tragedy. They sent up a camera so we could take pictures of the anchors. The anchors looked bomber. The only abnormality was a pear shaped locking biner attached to one of the rappel rings. After all three in our party had made the final rappel we talked to the ranger about the accident. He said that it looks like the deceased had tried to make a biner block. When they arrived on the scene they found his body still tied into this three hundred foot rope and six feet above him there was a biner tied to his rope with a clove hitch. The current hypothesis is this: instead of running the rope through the rappel rings he ran it through the locking biner, and when he weighted the rope, the biner pulled through the locking biner which was larger than the biner he used for the biner block. However, there are several questions still unanswered. We don't know if the group had head lamps. It was somewhere between 10:30 and 11:00 when he fell. Maybe in the dark something went wrong that could better explain the situation. Also, when the rangers got to the scene, the 300 foot rope was not attached to the two 200 foot tag ropes. Maybe one of his partners was supposed to weight the tag line and one of the knots attaching the ropes came loose. However, the rangers don't think this is the case after interviewing the other members in his party. At any case, there does not appear to have been any equipment failure that resulted in the accident."

-Brian in SLC