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Gimpilator
infinity/21M
Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA |
I heard through the grapevine that a large scale rescue operation took place yesterday very high on the mountain. Sounded like it was successful and there were no fatalities. I don't know anything more than that. Does anyone know more detail?
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lopper
off-route
Joined: 22 Jan 2002
Posts: 845 | TRs | Pics
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lopper
off-route
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 Mon Jun 19, 2017 3:48 pm |
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Gimpilator
infinity/21M
Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA |
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gb
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Joined: 01 Jul 2010
Posts: 6308 | TRs | Pics
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gb
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Mon Jun 19, 2017 4:29 pm |
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I don't know if it has anything to do with this accident - I'm not saying it does; but I consider Sloan to be a very dangerous peak until the snow has melted off the ramps on the south side of the peak. Might be unstable, might not, but a fall is very likely a five hundred foot fatal fall from the very steep ramps that must be traversed.
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over the hill
Member
Joined: 27 Aug 2011
Posts: 106 | TRs | Pics
Location: Muktown |
From the Everett Mountain Rescue Facebook page:
It was a busy weekend for the team. After getting the call on Saturday evening, members of Everett Mountain Rescue entered the field at 1am to climb nearly to the summit of Sloan Peak to rescue the injured climber. Support then poured in from technical mountain rescue units from around the state and we were 70+ strong by Sunday afternoon. It was a great multi-team effort with a successful outcome.
Huge thanks to Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team who was able to navigate the poor visibility and help extract the injured climber.
What made this rescue possible? The climbing lead had a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB or SPOT) in her backpack and was able to signal that she needed help from their very remote location.
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Yana
Hater
Joined: 04 Jun 2004
Posts: 4212 | TRs | Pics
Location: Out Hating |
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Yana
Hater
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Tue Jun 20, 2017 8:03 am |
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| gb wrote: | | I don't know if it has anything to do with this accident |
Nope.
PLAY SAFE! SKI ONLY IN CLOCKWISE DIRECTION! LET'S ALL HAVE FUN TOGETHER!
PLAY SAFE! SKI ONLY IN CLOCKWISE DIRECTION! LET'S ALL HAVE FUN TOGETHER!
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shin
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Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 4 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle |
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shin
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Tue Jun 20, 2017 1:01 pm |
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| gb wrote: | | I don't know if it has anything to do with this accident - I'm not saying it does; but I consider Sloan to be a very dangerous peak until the snow has melted off the ramps on the south side of the peak. Might be unstable, might not, but a fall is very likely a five hundred foot fatal fall from the very steep ramps that must be traversed. |
Your analysis was mostly correct  Except that the slopes were actually pretty stable. The rope team used 3 pickets when they traversed the south slope. Or they could have chosen to down climb to reach the heather then traverse. The former might be more straight forward. The accident happened while on the way back the climber slipped right after he unclipped from the last picket and he fell several feet to the rocks underneath the snow on the bottom of the snow. If the rocks did not stop him, it might be the other 2 pickets and 2 climbers' skills to be tested. Although on a slope with an angle like that (about 60 degrees), the pickets should work pretty well. It's a bit too early for climbing this mountain.
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gb
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Joined: 01 Jul 2010
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gb
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Wed Jun 21, 2017 8:24 am |
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Both the south side and west side of Sloan are rather steep. I wouldn't have said 60 degrees on the south side, but absent the trail (snow covered) 45-50 degrees seems likely. Traverses on snow are problematic including protection. The west side, while steep on the upper mountain is somewhat more broken.
Steph Abegg's depiction from a John Scurlock photo shows where the ramp route runs as it crosses the south of the peak from the edge of the glacier (in violet):
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nordique
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Joined: 04 May 2008
Posts: 1086 | TRs | Pics
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nordique
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Wed Jun 21, 2017 3:02 pm |
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What an impressively-organized rescue! SO many rescuers! I just finished Found: a Life in Mountain Rescue and have a greater understanding of all the labor, time, danger, and organization are involved.
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