Condolences to the family. Not much info here. Rigging failure on rappel. Not sure what the event was. Twenty people? Anyone know more details?
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news…g-death-coon-bluff-salt-river-tonto/22009513/
ASU student who died rappelling: ‘She was the bravest’
Friends and family of Katelyn Conrad held a vigil for her on top of “A” Mountain in Tempe. She died in a rappelling accident.
Friends remember Katelyn Conrad, an ASU student, died Saturday while rappelling near the Salt River.
(Photo: Jessica Jia)
Katelyn Conrad grabbed life by the horns and lived her life to the fullest. But she would have never said that about herself, because she hated cheesy metaphors, according to her friends.
The 21-year-old, an Arizona State University student, was rappelling from a cliff in the Tonto National Forest on Saturday morning, when she fell to her death, said Chris Hegstrom, a spokesman for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Conrad was rappelling in Coon Bluff, a popular area near the Salt River, with a group of 20 climbers from ASU’s Outdoor Activity Club, Hegstrom said. Hegstrom said her father is a Phoenix police lieutenant.
Phoenix Police confirmed that her father, Lt. Robert Conrad, has been with the department for almost 27 years.
“The entire Phoenix Police Department wishes to express their condolences to the Conrad family,” Phoenix Police Chief Joe Yahner said in a news release.
Investigators are looking into the incident, but say it appears Conrad’s rigging failed, Hegstrom said.
Friends have taken to Facebook and other social media sites to express their grief and shock about her death.
One specific post stands out to Jessica Jia, a close friend who was also on the trip Saturday. It simply reads: “She was the bravest and most practical person I’ve met.”
That describes her perfectly, Jia said.
Majoring in biomedical engineering, Conrad held notable research internships positions in San Francisco and Colorado. She also was the president of the Biomedical Engineering Club on campus.
She fell while rappelling from a cliff in the Tonto National Forest.
“To say she was smart is an understatement,” Jia said.
Somehow Conrad had the energy to do everything and anything, from running seven miles in the morning, to studying all day, to jumping on a bike and riding to Tucson, Jia said.
“She was like the Energizer bunny. She would have to cycle through friends to keep up with all the activities,” Jia said.
Conrad and Jia were roommates for nearly two years, starting when Conrad “adopted” her in the student dormitory, she said.
The pair hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim last summer. People at the park, especially the rangers, were surprised to see just the two of them geared up, and backpacking in the middle of August, Jia said.
Conrad was close to her parents and her younger brother, a freshman at ASU. She would go home often to work on cars with her father, and would often take part in multiple sclerosis walks with her mother, Jia said.
Conrad was a “no dwelling allowed” type of person, who would say “suck it up and move on,” Jia said.
Friends and family are invited to attend Conrad’s candlelight vigil tonight at 6:30 p.m. at “A” Mountain at ASU Hayden Butte Preserve.
Brian in SLC
video removed.
Mike Zampino
I for one check the rigging prior to rappeling no mater who set it up and no matter how many have already gone. Depending on the rappel and set up, it could just be a glance over or a complete check over if I feel it is warranted.
Once when a large group was letting me “play though” I started climbing up to check their anchor. He tried stopping me saying I could get on-rope down lower. I just said, “nothing personal, but I check all riggings before I use them”.
ratagonia
Yes, I am sure most of us do the same or similar. Except the beginners, who do not have the expertise to do so, as was likely the case here.
Tom
Deagol
for double rope, one thing to add: make sure both ends touch the ground
Bootboy
There is NO reason to be rapping on a clove hitch biner block for simple recreational rappelling. Use a real knot. When I set up raps for scouts or newbs at the crag this is the best option. Double eared figure 8. Aka: the Canadian 8, or the 88. Easily clipped directly into bolts and equalized.
Deagol
I thought there was a thread on here a while back about how clove hitches do loosen up (or was it on the other site) ?? There were pics of this happening. In any case, some people now use a triple, or some use a constrictor hitch. In either case, safety-ing off the loose end would have prevented this- 10 seconds to save a life.
bnwilso
How sad.
I’ve often taken some chiding for backing up the single rope clove hitch with a simple overhand or figure-eight knotted loop back to the blocking carabiner or anchor as a safety until the last person descends. I’ve had some pretty experienced canyoneers say something along the line of “why bother, clove hitches don’t slip” or “that doesn’t really do anything you know”. Lots of experience with no slippage of a clove hitch doesn’t mean it could never happen and I’ve witnessed plenty of attempts at clove hitches that weren’t quite correctly tied or cinched up enough on the carabiner. Next time chiding occurs I think I’ll give somebody an earful.
I know it’s not often done, but for an even added level of safety for the last person’s descent after the safety is removed someone using the pull cord as a meat anchor in case of the block slipping removes the slippage risk for the last person too.
I know it doesn’t appear to be the case in this situation, but several times I’ve run into the screw lock on the blocking carabiner getting unscrewed as people rappel and the carabiner rubs on rock, etc. A couple of times there was enough movement to completely unlock the carabiner. It’s a good strategy to check it after each rappel when it’s clear that rubbing on the lock could occur.
Kuenn
Heart-rending.
I may have missed this data, but what was the depth of the drop/fall?
Mike Zampino
I haven’t been there in a while, but I seem to remember it being just over 100ft.
Scott Patterson
How sad. Condolences to the family.
Single line rappels seem to be one of the main contributors in rappelling accidents. I wonder what percentage of rappelling accidents involve singe line? The majority of rappels are done double line, but single line sure does seem to be used in a lot of accidents.
townsend
I can immediately think of one rappelling accident that involved double lines, that of Louis Cicotello (RIP), where it was reported the lines were “unequal” and I assume he rapped off the end of the line:
http://climb-utah.com/Roost/nomans2.htm
Rapping off the end of the ilne is a standard category of rappelling error catelogued in Accidents in North American Mountaineering.
But this is the exception — many more accidents do occur with single lines.
ratagonia
Prove it.
Or withdraw your statement, please.
Those who have a hammer see everything as a nail. Those who are not fond of single rope technique, have their bias confirmed whenever a single-rope accident occurs.
Single – Double – Triple – Quadruple – the style of rappelling is not what caused the accident. What caused the accident apparently is that someone frakked up when they rigged the rope. Frakking up when you rig the rope is OFTEN the CAUSE of accidents.
People who don’t use Single line a lot, and/or are not well-trained or proficient in their rigging, are more likely to FRAK UP than when using techniques they are fully-proficient with.
The more universal statement is: People who don’t use ****** technique much, and are not well-trained or proficient in their rigging, are more likely to FRAK UP than when using techniques they are familiar with.
Tom
Brian in SLC
Along the nail/hammer analogy…if all canyoneers ever do is use single strand technique, then, surely that accounts for some of the issue, no?
Fun rappelling stuff here:
https://johnharlinmedia.com/shop/know-the-ropes/
If you look at the data from ANAM, as a whole, with regard to accidents out there, rappelling for climbers at least is only about 3% of the trouble they get into.
http://www.stephabegg.com/home/projects/accidentstats
For canyoneers? Rappelling accidents I’d think would have to be much, much higher. Data? I really don’t have a list of data to pluck from. All we can do is comb over individual accidents and hope to get a sense of what’s going on out there in the field.
How do canyoneers get hurt or killed? Messin’ up a rappel is a sure bet. There’s other risks too. Probably high is jumping into shallow water.
Easy enough to mess up a double rope rappel too. Any rappel technique, done incorrectly, can have devastating results. There’s a bunch that can go wrong with the whole rappel scenario. Anchor selection and robustness. Rigging the rope. Rigging the device to your harness. Managing the rope through the device before, during and after the act. Anyone of those areas can be done incorrectly.
But…and, I’m an admitted non-fan of the single rope rappel, it seems that there’s a bit more to pay attention to when rigging single with a block. Employing a set of checks should help eliminate those risks, though. It just seems like a method that requires attention in some additional areas. Did you use a clove hitch or accidentally employ a munter hitch for the block? Is your hitch tight? Is it even a real clove hitch? Its a hard thing to inspect at a glance. Are you on the correct side of the block? Is the block not going to fit through whatever rappel ring you’re using? And so on. These are things not required of a double rope rappel. But, what is required, is to make sure both strands of rope are actually through the device. Easy enough to verify prior to launch, as we all should be doing regardless of double or single.
Anyhoo…my condolences to the friends and family of the deceased.
Ram
Thanks Mike
Here is my problem. I am a proponent of single rope technique in canyons. It has many advantages there. But at a crag for a group rapping session? I just don’t see a reason. Practice for single rope raps, in canyons in the future? OK, then stone knot it, don’t clove it. Tragic
ratagonia
Or just tie a knot. Yeah. Very sad, especially so avoidable.
Mike Zampino
From a fellow canyoneer (Mike Zysman) who was on site with another group:
In the interest of advancing the safety of Canyoneering, I would like to provide everyone with some information about the rappelling accident which occurred this past weekend. I was about 50 yards away, working with another group when the accident occurred.
•The anchor was a large boulder wrapped with new webbing and a single rapide. The anchor itself did not fail.
•The group believed they set-up a single line rappel using a biner-block (clove hitch on a locking carabiner).
•The rope came down with Katelyn and she was still attached to the rope via ATC when found.
•The carabiner used for the biner-block was found at the top by the anchor. It was intact and the gate was locked.
•Two people (similar weight) had rappelled on the rope before the accident occurred
Although the official investigation is pending, my conclusion (for now), based on this information is that a Munter Hitch (or similar), instead of a Clove Hitch was tied. The Munter jammed in the rapide in a manner that allowed two people to rappel on it and then somehow shifted to allow the rope to pass through freely when Katelyn weighted it. I have tested this set-up and it is very plausible.
Bootboy
Sad news.
Be safe out there everyone. Check each other and your gear.
Deagol
way too young to die
Mike Zampino
Just found out yesterday that her mom and I went to high school together. So very sad. My heart goes out to them.