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ACCIDENT REPORT FOR THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB
Climbers fall on Mt. Washington in Oregon Cascades

The primary purpose of these reports and the Annual Report of Accidents in North American Mountaineering is to aid in the prevention of accidents:  Fall or slip on rock, Equipment failure: single spectra sling improperly placed and loaded, Nut or chock pulled out, Exceeding abilities, Failed to follow route, Inadequate belay anchor, Placed inadequate protection, Laceration, Fracture, Infection

At sunrise on Thursday, June 29, 2000, Eric Seyler and Kurt Smith left their bivouac high on the North Ridge of Mt. Washington to climb Central Pillar described by their guide book, “Oregon High” by Jeff Thomas, as “steep, exposed and a joy to climb”. Unable to positively identify the described route, they chose a line that looked promising. At the top of the first 90-foot pitch of blocky straightforward rock, Eric arrived at rappel slings looped between a fixed piton and a large block. He replaced the slings with a single spectra sling stretched horizontally around the block between the fixed piton and a new passive nut placement. He belayed Kurt to a ledge below and clove hitched Kurt to the single nut at one side of the sling. Kurt set two small passive nuts and attached each of them to his harness. As Eric climbed on he clipped the rope to one side of the spectra sling as a first point of protection above his belayer. He set 3 more passive nuts for protection as he climbed on.

Shortly after, Eric and Kurt fell more than 100 feet to hard sloping snow after breaking the spectra sling and tearing out each piece of protection and anchor gear they had set in the brittle volcanic rock. Both young men lay in agony with broken legs and other very serious injuries for three cold days in the wind and burning sun and two frigid nights high in the Mt. Washington Wilderness.

By luck alone, their whistle was heard by two Saturday hikers with radio and telephone contact to the Deschutes County SAR and soon after, by four members of the Eugene Mountain Rescue team on a personal outing, perhaps the only climbers on the mountain that weekend. Late in the day, they were airlifted out by USAF Reserve helicopter that was guided in by a cell phone patch.

Analysis of Accident: What knowledge and techniques will help prevent future accidents?
The conversion of sport climbing skills to mountaineering is perceived by alpinists to be full of dangers that are hidden to the uninformed. Wilderness mountaineering at 7,500 feet requires a significant investment of effort and experience to balance the risk. At guidebook rated 5.8, Eric believed this route was well within his capabilities. He had been sport climbing for several years but leading traditional for about two years at 5.9+ at Boughton’s Bluff, a local crag. This was essentially his first wilderness rock route. Guidebook generalities must be interpreted with cautious experience on less than perfect alpine rock.

Eric now realizes he made a grave error in not creating an equalized, narrow angled, no extension, redundant, bombproof belay anchor. As he fell, all of the force came on one nut at a time in sequence as his protection pulled from the rock. He then broke the single spectra sling stretched 120 degrees horizontally and clipped in “an American triangle” only on one side as it raked across the rough volcanic rock. As he pulled his belayer off the ledge, the single medium sized anchor nut and two small brass nuts exploded from the rock.

Kurt considers his mistake to be his silence. He felt that they should try an easier adjoining route but was silent; he thought the rock looked bad but did not say so and he did not insist on checking his belay anchor and the first placement protecting him above his belay ledge.

The novice alpinists made two additional mistakes. They had told friends where they were going but they did not say, “So, if we don’t make it back by then call the Search and Rescue right away”. And they left their cell phone in the car. (They did not know that the smallest cell phones work very well in the high Oregon Cascades.)

Additional Comments:
“At some point, I made a statement John Wayne would have been proud of - the only way we’ll get through this is Courage.” writes Eric Seyler. Medical personnel are amazed that Eric and Kurt did not die on the mountain from Shock from their terrible injuries. 

The most important thing that can be learned from this accident is how Companions can support each other and prevail over unimaginable hardship.

Eric and Kurt are continuing to recover from their serious injuries and infections.

Report filed by Robert Speik and printed in the 54th edition of ANAM, year 2001
Copyright© 2001 by Robert Speik. All Rights Reserved.