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Thread: What happened in Heaps Canyon??
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06-05-2007, 11:02 PM #41Originally Posted by bruce from bryce
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.
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06-05-2007 11:02 PM # ADS
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06-05-2007, 11:06 PM #42Originally Posted by Scott Patterson
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06-06-2007, 06:21 AM #43
- Join Date
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Originally Posted by Bo_Beck
Did you have to go through Heaps?
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06-06-2007, 06:22 AM #44
- Join Date
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Originally Posted by Bo_Beck
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06-06-2007, 06:53 AM #45
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.It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.
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06-06-2007, 06:53 AM #46Originally Posted by tanya
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06-06-2007, 06:58 AM #47Originally Posted by tanya
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06-06-2007, 07:26 AM #48Originally Posted by Bo_BeckIt's my job to call the BS around here. Get over it.
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06-06-2007, 07:39 AM #49
[quote=Iceaxe]
Originally Posted by bruce from bryce
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
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06-06-2007, 08:19 AM #50Originally Posted by oldno7
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06-06-2007, 11:19 AM #51Originally Posted by price1869
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06-06-2007, 02:33 PM #52
Thanks for the info Bo.
No matter how it happened, a horrible tradgedy none the less. My prayers go out to the families.Utah is a very special and unique place. There is no where else like it on earth. Please take care of it and keep the remaining wild areas in pristine condition. The world will be a better place if you do.
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06-07-2007, 08:12 AM #53
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
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06-07-2007, 08:28 AM #54
Why would they/he remove the biner? Does not make sense to me.
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06-07-2007, 08:33 AM #55Originally Posted by WasatchIt's only "science" if it supports the narrative.
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06-07-2007, 08:41 AM #56Originally Posted by Wasatch
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
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06-07-2007, 08:44 AM #57Why would they/he remove the biner? Does not make sense to me.
Anyway, this thread seems to be headed towards the rumor and speculation catagory. Maybe best to wait for the report.Utah is a very special and unique place. There is no where else like it on earth. Please take care of it and keep the remaining wild areas in pristine condition. The world will be a better place if you do.
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06-07-2007, 08:56 AM #58Originally Posted by Scott PattersonIt's only "science" if it supports the narrative.
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06-07-2007, 09:04 AM #59Originally Posted by Scott Patterson
Originally Posted by rockgremlin
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.
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06-07-2007, 09:49 AM #60
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
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