Wilson Peak fatality

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LetsGoMets
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by LetsGoMets »

Tornadoman wrote: Thu Sep 26, 2024 11:22 am First of all, my condolences to the fallen climbers family and friends. I am saddened by this news.
LetsGoMets wrote: Thu Sep 26, 2024 10:20 am Pretty sure you can climb below them as well. I def thought they were sketch when I ascended them, but if I recall I dropped below them on a use trail on the way back.
I also thought those ledges were very exposed/dangerous and was a bit unnerved by them (obviously could have been a better line than what we were on). Myself and one partner retreated back to the saddle and decided to bypass them low. I recall there being a bit of loose scree work and then pieces of a climbers trail through that area, and reconnecting with the main route further up. I feel that area is more confusing and dangerous than the summit pitch.
Completely agree with that assessment and yes, that's my recollection when I bypassed it as well.

Condolences to all involved.
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mindfolded
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by mindfolded »

I was surprised at how easy it was to end up too high on much sketchier terrain when I tackled this section.
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Istoodupthere
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by Istoodupthere »

climbingyogi wrote: Thu Sep 26, 2024 7:51 am
Jorts wrote: Thu Sep 26, 2024 6:50 am I wonder where this occurred. I remember my first and only time on Wilson being taken aback by some exposed, loose terrain low on the mountain traversing toward it from the pass/saddle with Gladstone. I might’ve been off route but encountered it to some degree in both directions in the vicinity of a trail.

Condolences to this man’s friends and family.
This is so sad to hear. RIP to the fallen climber :(

I actually thought the class 3 slabby/ledges section (that I think you're referring to) was the crux of the route when I hiked it last month (photos attached from the route description), and the other two people in my group agreed. The steeper section below the summit didn't feel nearly as scary or hard to me.
Very sorry to hear of another death in the mountains.

I agree. The summit area was pretty easy. The area you speak of was a bit of a surprise as far as difficulty. On the way back I went lower to avoid the area as others have stated. Regardless of the area, I wonder if ice was an issue.
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by seannunn »

Very sorry to hear of this accident. My prayers for his family.

Should the standard route description on here be modified to reflect this lower, apparently safer passage through that area?
I am asking; I haven't been on little Wilson yet.

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OBC13
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by OBC13 »

May the climber rest in peace. It's awkward for me to post on this since I nearly died from a fall from the Gladstone saddle into Navajo Basin a little over three years ago. Nonetheless, I will add a few thoughts. The reason I fell was a mis planted trekking pole as I left the Gladstone saddle heading back to the Rock of Ages saddle. This was nothing but a careless mistake. I had climbed to the summit with no real problems. The rock from the Gladstone saddle to the summit is tedious. I did take a higher route but not completely up on the ridge. The higher route is not all that clear going up, but it is very clear coming down. I felt like the worst of the climb was over when I got back to the Gladstone saddle. I lost focus and made a careless mistake. I was wearing my helmet which I kept on from the Rock of Ages saddle to the summit and back down. That saved my life. I don't know why I bothered with the trekking poles going over to the Gladstone saddle from the Rock of Ages saddle. I started using them again after I reached the Gladstone Saddle coming down. In hindsight, I wish I had just put the trekking poles away on the way up once I reached the Rock of Ages saddle.
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by greenonion »

seannunn wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2024 11:47 am Very sorry to hear of this accident. My prayers for his family.

Should the standard route description on here be modified to reflect this lower, apparently safer passage through that area?
I am asking; I haven't been on little Wilson yet.

Sean Nunn
Peculiar, MO
IMO it should
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by peterkfes »

It's terribly sad news to hear about a fatality. May this man's family and friends, in time, find comfort in his memory. Regarding the traverse section I'll echo what others reported above after climbing this peak last month. For several years I twisted myself into a pretzel over the thought of the final pitch. I'd read the route description so many times and studied the pictures, never giving the traverse after Gladstone saddle a second thought other than it may take a bit of route finding. It caught me completely off guard. I didn't drop lower and immediately figured out that it was going to be more challenging than anticipated. I passed a half dozen others in total in both directions on this section, none of us shared the same line across it. Not saying there's anything wrong with this, just agreeing that it came as a surprise once I left the saddle. On the way down I knew what was coming and still ended up on a different line than on the way up. I commented out loud to myself several times that this section was more challenging than the final pitch. A month later my notes for the trip state that the final pitch was actually quite fun after fearing it for years but the traverse was as much or more of a challenge.
It's sad to hear a fellow climber didn't survive, my heart goes out to his family and friends.
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by wmagnuson7 »

This news is so incredibly sad to hear and a sobering reminder of the dangers inherent to these mountains. My thoughts and prayers are with the climber and his family.

Having just summited Wilson Peak a couple weeks ago, the route is very fresh in my mind. I would agree that there should be strong consideration to changing the standard route to descend beneath the ledges (where there is a trail, which I also found on my descent) before continuing northeast towards the summit. We all have different strengths and abilities, but the current route has no discernible trail or cairns and would be quite dangerous in unfavorable conditions. Conversely, descending 100-150 vertical feet allows one to find a nice trail and bypass the ledges and avoid said danger. If not a change to the standard route, I think a couple sentences and photos of this alternate route could be helpful for some.
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by Peak200 »

I feel so bad for the climber who fell and the family. RIP.
Its a very deceptive off camber area and i have climbed
Over 130 mtns.

Trsil below the ledges; where?? Maybe if the snowfield is gone.
I failed on the ledges the first time amd did not summit.
I came back again 4 years later but could not find any areas that looked Great. In the meantime there was a one female climber
In a party of 3 that barely made it through the area
Before me. Literally screaming a few times and set off
Rockfall twice. That freaked me out so I turned back and went down and around And it was NOT easy. It was in late august 23 and there
Was still a large snowfield. The snowfield is very angled
Up near the cliffs so i opted to go down further and cross
With mini spikes. You end up on a very steep ridiculous partially
Loose Talus slope which you have to climb all way back up
To the main trail. Then on the way down from the top
Back down the talus slope , across the snowfield and back up
A VERY STEEP DANGEROUS LOOSE dirt slope to get around
The ledges. I summitted without the ledges. I guess there is a trail if the snowfield is not there. Just an fyi . Super fun climb though.
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by Wentzl »

Some of the posts in this thread suggest that mountain climbing can (or should) be packaged into something simple.

The route description is fine. Accidents happen. Anyone can stumble in a bad place. My condolence to the family of the fallen.

Some years ago I climbed Wilson Peak the day after a plane crashed into the summit on approach to the Telluride Airport. Ever seen a propeller on a 14er summit?

These hills can be dangerous.
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Peak200
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by Peak200 »

Wentzl wrote: Sun Sep 29, 2024 7:59 pm Some of the posts in this thread suggest that mountain climbing can (or should) be packaged into something simple.

The route description is fine. Accidents happen. Anyone can stumble in a bad place. My condolence to the family of the fallen.

Some years ago I climbed Wilson Peak the day after a plane crashed into the summit on approach to the Telluride Airport. Ever seen a propeller on a 14er summit?

These hills can be dangerous.
Agreed sad outcome but the route is dangerous
And there is not much that be done about it.
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Re: Wilson Peak fatality

Post by JROSKA »

Before we travel any further down this path, do we even know for certain where this climber fell? All I’m seeing (even today) is, “somewhere along the Rock of Ages trail”. Wilson Peak was 8 years ago for me so I admit the memory is a bit foggy. But the only place where I can even remotely imagine going down 300-400 feet in a fall is just below the summit. I’m all for safety but before we continue down the road of changing standard routes etc, it would be nice to know for certain if this was even the location where the climber fell.
“Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.” - Ecclesiastes 1:10-11