Mount Shasta (CA) 2017.12.13

PanShiBo

After summiting Shasta we stopped for a lunch break at Misery Hill, and Vera pointed out to the shifted metal band on one of my crampons. I said "a, it is just cosmetic". I have climbed like that many times. But then I surprised myself taking the crampon off, inspecting it and readjusting anew. I remember clearly at the back of my mind a briefly flashed image of the exit chute of the Red Banks with entire stretch of Avalanche Gulch and also the episode when Joe Simpson broke his (yet another) leg on a similar "simple walking" slope (book This Game of Ghosts), all was at the level of intuition: some weak but annoying voice was telling me to do so. I felt something was in the air.

PHOTO: Avalanche Gulch, by summitpost.com. Some people claim having glissaded it all the way from the top to the Helen Lake: elevation drop and the distance is roughly equal to that of Grouse Grind.

vera

在Misery Hill，冰和雪混杂，坡面高低不平，反光也不一样，我就尽量找雪的地方踩（这样软一些），一切还顺利。但是下了Red Banks后，terrain就变成平滑的坡面，从表面根本看不出起伏，但实际硬度并不处处相同（绝对是“暗藏杀机”），所以crampons踩下去，并不处处落在实处。而且几步是软一点的，你认为可以顺着这条线下去，可是马上又会变成了很硬的，让你防不胜防、措手不及，只好再试探周围的，这样时不时地就要走个小小的横切。我的意外就是从一个极小的traverse开始的。

嗯，这里很硬，右侧好像可以，但是从我脚下到右侧的横切这段，有点点碎石的颜色（见到这个，我应该能判断出此处至少不平，而且雪很浅），但很短，也许1m左右？如果直下，太硬了，我也紧张，便还是想着要到右边去。我的短的ice-axe插在背包左侧的gear loop的环里，右手抓着长直的这根，照样只有柄尖着地、柄身插不进，我是右侧身体靠着坡面这边，完全地水平横切（因为这样距离最短），所以走路在一条线上，所谓的猫步，大概在第三步吧，这时间真不能以秒来计算，根本不知道怎么回事，我从左侧翻下去，头在下，脚在上，face-up, 好像属于self-arrest里最难的情形，就这样发生了！ 其实我现在也不知道当时是个什么样子，只知道要把ice-axe的镐尖扎进雪里，确实我是做了这个动作，但是因为我人在下面，没有身体的压力压下去，力量不够，就听到镐尖在冰里划过的声音，我还能清晰地看到划出的冰槽，而此刻，我还在不停地下滑，最后（这个过程当然很短暂），脱镐了！冰镐也从我的手套中脱了出去！糟了！此刻还是倒着的我，在速度中还没忘了拽住我的leash，想把ice-axe拉回来。

但就在这个时候，我开始翻滚了，控制不住地翻起来，间或我能看到岩石的颜色，事故报告里撞到岩石后各种injury的惨象马上在脑子里转起来，不行！千万不能！头最重要！我便弯起双臂，双手绕在脖后（我戴着头盔），继续转，嗯，没有撞到什么硬东西，但是在翻滚的过程中，我的头盔卡下来，遮住了我的半张脸，我变得什么也看不见，ice-axe朝向哪里根本不知道，天哪，我出了事故，博士怎么办？太大的难题给他了，我想都不敢想，想也想不下去，但是又不能不想，同时还得想着怎么办、怎么办。Shasta这段的顺畅大坡的图片不断在我眼前浮现，人们坐滑直到Horsecamp的情景也在我的imagination里，...... 我知道这个后果是什么，self-arrest是没戏了，我也不敢把我的胳膊抬起来，我怕那样的话，我与坡面的接触小了会滑得更快，便沉下心来，想起了博士曾经在Rainier说过的话：“伸开四肢、尽量贴平地面，增大摩擦力，来尽量减慢下滑的速度。”

我意识到不能用ic-axe后，马上就这样做了。不知道过了多久，一切静止了！我停住了！！

PanShiBo

Sun was already set, in the diminishing light we were about half way down the Avalanche Gulch, when I heard a short strange "pounding" sound and then saw Vera falling on her back. In an instant, she performed classic self-arrest (which we actually practiced a few days ago!). Self-arrest from the back position is rather technically difficult - it involves two stages, a  necessary transition to the base and only then do ice-axe maneuver. I saw her axe plunging in the hard snow and heard the screeching noise of the pick on the ice. I saw plumes of ice dust the axe produced. It was such perfectly implemented - in time and precisely as in the book. She seemed to slow down, and I remember thinking, "wow! it makes me proud!".  But then, when she almost stopped, the axe hit unpenetrable hard surface and popped out; she started accelerating in a free fall down the Avalanche Gulch. Very quickly it went out of control, her body was thrown violently in the air, arms stretched wide, then she hit the surface, head down, and then back into air. Many times like that, without slowing down. It looked like an act that those acrobats in the circus perform: jump from the feet in the air, land on the hands, then back in the air, then back on the the feet.. Only this was in the air, land on the body, back in the air, land on the head, back in the air.. Eventually she slowed and I thought, that's it. But shortly after, the body gained the same free-fall speed again, now rolling sideways, with arms being thrown stretched wide as if entirely given up the fight, as if it was a fake mannequin in the movies. And then it was quiet. Very quiet.

Now, as in the past myself having had experienced a similar fall, I instantly knew - we will certainly require either Rescue (of the injured climber) or Recovery (of the dead  body) operation. Falling with two ice axes flying around makes the disaster more severe. Such falls just don't survive - BCMC fatal accident on Rainier a few years back and those recent on Stadium Glacier on The Sky Pilot were all tragic ones. It would be super stupid to hope for luck, and I didn't. The reality was that I just had to determine what type of call I had to make on my satellite phone to California police and then to SAR. Do we need an air ambulance, foot rescue or just a long-line transport helicopter in the next morning. She fell so far down that I couldn't see the condition of her body, I just saw it lying face-down, motionless. Two-ways radios that we always carry on us were not available this time, so I couldn't tell if she even could talk and yelling won't be heard - it was too far. I started downclimbing, making sure I don't fall too, the snow already became very hard and slippery.

数码叮叮

vera
在Misery Hill，冰和雪混杂，坡面高低不平，反光也不一样，我就尽量找雪的地方踩（这样软一些），一切还顺利。但是下了Red Banks后，terrain就变成平滑的坡面，从表面根本看不出起伏，但实际硬度并不处处相同（绝对是“暗藏杀机”），所以crampons踩下去，并不处处落在实处。而且几步是软一点的，你认为可以顺着这条线下去，可是马上又会变成了很硬的，让你防不胜防、措手不及，只好再试探周围的，这样时不时地就要走个小小的横切。我的意外就是从一个极小的traverse开始的。

嗯，这里很硬，右侧好像可以，但是从我脚下到右侧的横切这段，有点点碎石的颜色（见到这个，我应该能判断出此处至少不平，而且雪很浅），但很短，也许1m左右？如果直下，太硬了，我也紧张，便还是想着要到右边去。我的短的ice-axe插在背包左侧的gear loop的环里，右手抓着长直的这根，照样只有柄尖着地、柄身插不进，我是右侧身体靠着坡面这边，完全地水平横切（因为这样距离最短），所以走路在一条线上，所谓的猫步，大概在第三步吧，这时间真不能以秒来计算，根本不知道怎么回事，我从左侧翻下去，头在下，脚在上，face-up, 好像属于self-arrest里最难的情形，就这样发生了！ 其实我现在也不知道当时是个什么样子，只知道要把ice-axe的镐尖扎进雪里，确实我是做了这个动作，但是因为我人在下面，没有身体的压力压下去，力量不够，就听到镐尖在冰里划过的声音，我还能清晰地看到划出的冰槽，而此刻，我还在不停地下滑，最后（这个过程当然很短暂），脱镐了！冰镐也从我的手套中脱了出去！糟了！此刻还是倒着的我，在速度中还没忘了拽住我的leash，想把ice-axe拉回来。

但就在这个时候，我开始翻滚了，控制不住地翻起来，间或我能看到岩石的颜色，事故报告里撞到岩石后各种injury的惨象马上在脑子里转起来，不行！千万不能！头最重要！我便弯起双臂，双手绕在脖后（我戴着头盔），继续转，嗯，没有撞到什么硬东西，但是在翻滚的过程中，我的头盔卡下来，遮住了我的半张脸，我变得什么也看不见，ice-axe朝向哪里根本不知道，天哪，我出了事故，博士怎么办？太大的难题给他了，我想都不敢想，想也想不下去，但是又不能不想，同时还得想着怎么办、怎么办。Shasta这段的顺畅大坡的图片不断在我眼前浮现，人们坐滑直到Horsecamp的情景也在我的iamgination里，...... 我知道这个后果是什么，self-arrest是没戏了，我也不敢把我的胳膊抬起来，我怕那样的话，我与坡面的接触小了会滑得更快，便沉下心来，想起了博士曾经在Rainier说过的话：“伸开四肢、尽量贴平地面，增大摩擦力，来尽量减慢下滑的速度。”

我意识到不能用ic-axe后，马上就这样做了。不知道过了多久，一切静止了！我停住了！！

天啦~我们的冰川自救练习里我们认为最不可能的情形发生了！这也解释了我在你们登顶那天的担心。我每天读当天早晨6点过发出来的雪崩分析报告的时候，都会读到关于雪况的分析，多数的描述是表面平滑，冰化坚硬的雪层，然后提到可能滑坠的可能性。所以12号和13号在发给你们的雪崩预报信息里都发了几个关键词像icy, smooth, firm snowpack。你们登顶那天早晨还发给博士短信提到小心坚硬的雪面和容易掉落的冰霜。万幸你停住了！！！

数码叮叮

PanShiBo
Sun was already set, in the diminishing light we were about half way down the Avalanche Gulch, when I heard a short and strange "pounding" sound and then saw Vera falling on her back. In an instant, she performed classic self-arrest (which we actually practiced a few days ago!). Self-arrest from the back position is rather technically difficult - in involves two stages, a  necessary transition to the base and only then do ice-axe maneuver. I saw her axe plunging in the hard snow and heard the screeching noise of the pick on the ice. I saw plumes of ice dust the axe produced. It was such perfectly implemented - in time and precisely as in the book. She seemed to slow down, and I remember thinking, "wow! it makes me proud!".  But then, when she almost stopped, the axe hit unpenetrable hard surface and popped out; she started accelerating in a free fall down the Avalanche Gulch. Very quickly it went out of control, her body was thrown violently in the air, arms stretched wide, than she hit the surface, head down, and then back into air. Many times like that, without slowing down. It looked like an act that those acrobats in the circus perform: jump from the feet in the air, land on the hands, then back in the air, then back on the the feet.. Only this was in the air, land on the body, back in the air, land on the head, back in the air.. Eventually she slowed and I thought, that's it. But shortly after, the body gained the same free-fall speed again, now rolling sideways, with arms being thrown stretched wide as if entirely given up the fight, as if it was a fake mannequin in the movies. And then it was quiet. Very quiet.

Now, as in the past myself having had experienced a similar fall, I instantly knew - we will certainly require either Rescue (of the injured climber) or Recovery (of the dead  body) operation. Falling with two ice axes flying around makes the disaster more severe. Such falls just don't survive - BCMC fatal accident on Rainier a few years back and those recent on Stadium Glacier on The Sky Pilot were all tragic ones. It would be super stupid to hope for luck, and I didn't. The reality was that I just had to determine what type of call I had to make on my satellite phone to California police and then to SAR. Do we need an air ambulance, foot rescue or just a long-line transport helicopter in the next morning. She fell so far down that I couldn't see the condition of her body, I just saw it lying face-down, motionless. Two-ways radios that we always carry on us were not available this time, so I couldn't tell if she even could talk and yelling won't be heard - it was too far. I started downclimbing, making sure I don't fall too, the snow already became very hard and slippery.

With all of these kinds of epic experience and elegant creative writing skills, Boshi and Vera can publish a mountaineering book!

PanShiBo

I felt angry of not having our two-way radios - I might be wasting most critical life-saving time - should I call SAR immediately or only after I reach Vera? I saw her slowly move, stand up. I expected to see hands raised up, indicating that she was OK, but I couldn't make it out, it was still too far. She turned her headlamp on and then slowly sat down. The lamp's light was not in emergency (blinking) mode. After a long half-an-hour (I think) of careful downclimbing I was there. I didn't ask silly question "Are you OK?". Instead, I asked "Do you know where we are?". "Mt. Shasta" she replied. "Do you know the US state we are in?" - California. "What date is it today?" - "December 13th!" She laughed - obviously thinking "What kind of stupid questions these are!". Now I knew she was not in shock or that she had not received brain / neck / spine damage during her fall.

However, before I started asking, her first and only question to me was: "How is my face?". Strangely, this is not the first time I heard this same question from the fallen victim.

It was already dark, so I needed headlamp to examine  her face - it had ZERO scratches or bruises, nothing! We sat there for a while, in silence, staring in the darkness.

PanShiBo

To put yourself into a situation where a mistake cannot necessarily be recouped, where the life you lose may be your own, clears the head wonderfully. It puts domestic problems back into proportion and adds an element of seriousness to your drab, routine life. Perhaps this is one reason why climbing has become increasingly hard as society has become increasingly, disproportionately, coddling.

- Al Alvarez

We never search for such situations, but quite opposite, try hard to avoid them. Still, this kind of stuff happens, and when it does, small things become appropriately small, put "back into proportion".

PHOTO: Mt. Shastina as seen from Misery Hill

NW

What a thriller! Great admiration for both of you - success or challenge.

PanShiBo

Because we have a habit of properly attaching our stuff, making sure that backpack's external things (snowshoes, poles, water bottles, etc.) don't get lost in a potential fall, everything was still there, on the Vera's backpack. Snowshoes had to be re-adjusted a bit. However, in the fall Vera's camera got crack broken and one strap on the hat was ripped off.

I can't use the word "luck" here - it is rather shallow and usually is associated with winning a huge sum in a lottery. What was it then? Something that "puts domestic problems back in proportion"?  Something that makes one see really important things in life. It makes one realize that not many things really matter. Not a broken camera and not winning a lottery for that matter.

It was now completely dark, with no moon in the sky. Our headlamps could only show the surface in the front. In such case a paper map and a compass are entirely useless. If you didn't track your trip with a GPS you may wander around your tent without finding it until morning. Or worse, entering wrong gully in Helen Lake area is easy.

Surroundings became featureless, except "up" and "down". The ice started falling from above - usual refreezing effect when the ice expands under dropping temperature and releases itself free. We'd better hurry, so without readjusting snowshoes started downlimbing to Helen Lake.

PHOTO: Mt. Shasta as seen from above the Misery Hill

PanShiBo

数码叮叮
..所以12号和13号在发给你们的雪崩预报信息里都发了几个关键词像icy, smooth, firm snowpack。你们登顶那天早晨还发给博士短信提到小心坚硬的雪面和容易掉落的冰霜..

PanShiBo
..some weak but annoying voice was telling me to do so. I felt something was in the air...

I now see why..it was your message planted in the back of my mind that made the difference!

We are often guilty for not giving credits to the people who prevented something bad from happening, that "nothing happened". When nothing happens, then  it is difficult to identify those who were actually involved to provide that.  Who knows, if on that hard snow my otherwise lose crampon wouldn't snap off! 8)

PHOTO: By Vera, after the fall, somewhere below Helen Lake.

数码叮叮

If so, I feel we should give the credits to the heroes behind Avalanche Advisory.  They send very clear messages to the climbers and ski mountaineers.  Really appreciated their advisory.

PanShiBo

PanShiBo
..I can't use the word "luck" here - it is rather shallow and usually is associated with winning a huge sum in a lottery. What was it then?..

I think the word "miracle" isn't applicable either - miracles happen when water turns into wine, you can't learn from them.

If this kind of stuff occurs, always unexpected, it makes one discover inner self at the deepest level. I am pretty sure we all believe that we will never abandon our climbing partner in distress, but what about reality? BCMC group, a dozen of strong healthy young people, all left their injured fellow skier to die in the dark on cold slopes of Mt. Rainier four years ago. But well, skiers are not climbers, and as such don't have strong bond between themselves ("everyone for himself"). But what about the accident on Mt. Wedge when the "climbers" left behind one of theirs overnight, in the open, alone and injured? Next morning the rescue helicopter crew found them in the hut, sleeping. The reality is not the same as what we imagine about ourselves, and that has been proven many many times.

The universe is a case of hypnotisation; de-hypnotise yourself and cease to suffer. In order to be free we have to pass through vice to virtue, and then get rid of both.

-Veils of Maya

PHOTO: Back at the tent. Without our trusted GPS it would be some challenge to locate it in the dark (e.g. with a paper map and a compass huh?). Time to melt snow and make some hot brew. Photo by Vera.

PanShiBo

I once asked several people a question "What would you feel when you get something you didn't deserve?". Their answer was a "common-sense" one - "Be happy and celebrate!". Which again shows that we don't know ourselves very well.

Despite our abuse of "luck" and negligence, we escaped by a narrow margin a fatal accident. We got a huge credit for something that we didn't deserve. Others in similar circumstances paid the price in full. Yet, there was no "celebration", instead a heavy and sober re-inspection of what happened. The thought that our "Random Alpine Tips" presentation could have been turned into a "Celebration Of Life". I felt that something was sending us a message. What that message was about I still have to understand.

PHOTO: Sunny California. At Bunny Flat parking lot with Mt. Shasta at the back.

PanShiBo

One of the best views of Mt. Shasta is from a small town with an unusual strange name "Weed".

PHOTO: Hard to believe, but that's 3km vertical! Taken from the parking lot of Weed's McDonald's. We never point at a peak like that unless we have climbed it. If you know what I mean. 8)