Mt. Whitney Glissading Mishap (Rock and Ice)

[maverick]

http://www.rockandice.com/weekend-whipp ... gone-wrong

[gary c.]

They didn't say if or how bad she was hurt. I assume she must have been hurt early on or she would have at least flattened out and tried to quit tumbling.

[DAVELA]

Glissading to me is fkn nuts.But thats just me or maybe its the fact with glissading you have unlimited speed potential,total loss of control,a pile of rocks randomly scattered waiting to greet you throughout your run.Not good odds,no thanks.
Mind you,im a casual hiker/snowshoer so,whatever.

[hjldennis]

This reminds me when my wife slid/tumbled onto me here about 10 years ago. We were speeding down because my parents were babysitting our yr old son at a motel in Lonepine, and we wanted to get down before the checkout time (yes el cheapo couple here lol). Since my wife is somewhat undercoordinated (she doesn't check this board btw), we typically would not have done it, but that day, we looked at each other and kinda nodded, and went for it. So when she lost balance and came upon me, luckily I managed self arrest both of us. Climbing back up to trail took alot of energy and time though. Never again, unless it's for fun, training, or totally safe.

Looking at this video though.... if it was my wife tumbling down past me, I would be right behind her..... there maybe many reasons why I shouldn't, but I would.

[Shawn]

This is posted in the comments section of the video by the guy that was with her:

When Sheila first slipped she was above me, but not directly. The slope angled her toward me and she made contact. That’s where the video starts. I think I could have held us, but she didn’t want to knock me loose too, so she kicked up her legs and slid clear of me…I’ll love her forever for that! She does know proper self-arrest technique and practiced. She tried to get her weight over the axe, but she was accelerated crazy-fast and before the axe could penetrate, she would flip or spin out of position. Eventually she successfully self-arrested just as she reached the rocks. As she pulled herself over the axe, the adze chopped her in the jaw. That and some bruises were her only injuries. According to the GPS, she fell 750 vertical feet. Her stopping point was nearly a half mile away from me. She contacted me by radio to let me know she was OK, so I could take my time going down safely.

[Shhsgirl]

Thanks for this one, Maverick. You won't need to remind me not to try this at home. I did a bit of it as a teenager, near Seven Sisters. But the glacier was in the sun, and soft.

[balance]

Thank goodness those people were okay.

From the looks of the snow, the conditions were completely fine for self-arrest. It wasn't too icy or too slushy.

Looks like someone was playing games they were not prepared to handle.