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PSP also PP
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 5, 2016 - 12:04pm PT
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Saw on face book that he had a heart problem on a climb and evac'ed to Katamandu operated on and OK.
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FRUMY
Trad climber
Bishop,CA
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Best wish to him & his Family.
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BruceHildenbrand
Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
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From Conrad's Facebook page:
On the morning of the 16th of November 2016 while climbing on Lunag-Ri, a peak in the Khumbu Himalaya of Nepal, I experienced an acute coronary syndrome. My climbing partner David Lama of Austria and I were six pitches up the climb when I experienced severe chest pain. Realizing this was not a pulmonary or cerebral reaction to altitude, we immediately rappelled. Having never experienced anything of this nature I immediately understood this as a time critical health situation. We called for a helicopter and with the help of our Sherpa friends I was evacuated to Kathmandu.
Within 9 hours of the incident I was in the cardiac care unit of Norvic International Hospital. Dr Bhutta performed an angioplasty and removed the obstruction. This procedure is very time sensitive as the heart can fail, experience fibrillation or loose muscle. Dr Bhutta installed a stent in my heart and kept me in observation for three days.
I would like to express my gratitude to my climbing partners, our Nepali staff, the medical teams at the CIWEC clinic, Norvic Hospital and the Mayo Clinic. The kindness my family has extended is heart warming. I am forever thankful.
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PAUL SOUZA
Trad climber
Central Valley, CA
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Wow! Glad you are on the mend, Conrad!
Welcome to the stent club, my friend.
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Levy
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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My best wishes in you having a speedy recovery. You got places to go, things to do, etc..
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couchmaster
climber
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The guy still has the best of hearts, even if it has a few technical issues. My best to Conrad, he's clearly a world class human being and will still be one a long time after he hangs up his crampons.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Blessings sent - Candle lit.
Respect, Inspire, Anchor
Be well get well
Wishing you
Health & Greatness.
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
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Phew....gripping.
Glad he made it to the hospital.
Scary, scary stuff when you read about someone so uber fit.
Susan
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Geez, you really cheated death on that one, Conrad!
Now that you're old and everything, why don't you come and climb El Cap with me sometime? We can make a Geriatric Ascent.
Cheers, eh?
PtP Pete aka Big Wall Parvenu
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H
Mountain climber
there and back again
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Jesus Bro, Glad your still with us.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Conrad! Best wishes for a speedy & complete recovery. We'll drink the "Here's to Cheating Death" toast to you tonight.
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Glad you made it off that thing!!
Heal up well Conrad.
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i-b-goB
Social climber
Wise Acres
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Conrad glad you made it out of there and that the doctors took care of you!
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say... oh my, :O ...i will join in with your
friends that know you, and share, too:
SO very glad for you that you got help,
and had a chance to get through all this...
prayers for more 'getting well' and continuing onward...
god bless...
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High Fructose Corn Spirit
Gym climber
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Sheesh.
If it can happen to Conrad Anker I guess it can happen to anyone in their 50s.
Maybe I'll dial it back some.
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Best wishes Conrad. You have been extraordinarily kind to others and I hope you get paid back with a speedy recovery as it sounds is already underway.
Matt
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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best wishes going out to you Conrad
so good to hear a happy ending!
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BruceHildenbrand
Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
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I did an Adopt-a-Crag day with Conrad in Colorado(The Canal Zone) in September. Conrad was so full of energy taking on one task after another and swinging a Pulaski like there was no tomorrow. That's the Conrad we want to see back in the saddle. Here's sending you best wishes!
As an interesting side note, Jon Cardwell was with us there as well. He mentioned that he was going to Yosemite for the first time ever and wanted to know what routes he should do. I was strongly advising him(a bit tongue-in-cheek) to stay away from Steck-Salathe while Conrad was telling him it was a must-do. We went back and forth on the merits(!?!?!).
For those of you who don't know Jon Cardwell, this summer he did the 13th known ascent of Chris Sharma's Biographie/Realization(5.15a) at Ceuse. My guess is that he would have had little problem with any route he attempted in Yosemite.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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The Mark Synnott National Geographic article posted up thread by Mr. Rogers is really good!
Good on you Conrad, for making all the right decisions, and in timely fashion.
Way to be, and way to keep on being!
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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My daughter just sent me the link to your facebook page-wow! Missed all of this.
Dude, so glad you were aware and had the help to evac. in time.
Damn-9 hours!
That in itself is amazing.
From Delhi...cheers and here's to living life and adjusting to what it throws out at us!
take care Conrad!
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado & Nepal
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Best wishes Conrad!
All the good karma you created in the Khumbu paid off for you. Just yesterday, I saw a Facebook post by Dawa Yangzum, one of the three Sherpani who climbed K2 a couple of years ago, saying that she got her start at the Alex Lowe climbing school.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Wishing you and your Family the very best outcome.
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mcreel
climber
Barcelona
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Hey Conrad, hope you're recovering well.
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Tobia
Social climber
Denial
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Wow, of all the places to have cardiac problems Conrad's heart picked a real winner.
That's an amazingly graceful end to what more than likely than not, could have been another epic tragedy posted.
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Ezra Ellis
Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
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Best wishes to you Conrad, it sounds like you have already made a solid recovery!
This is a great reminder of how much GENETICS can affect out health.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Sincere wishes for MORE HARD CLIMBING!!!!
Take a breather for a while, then get back in the saddle, like good old High TRaverse did.
But just do it at much lower altitudes.
Enjoy the rest of your life, brother.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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See you soon, CA! Know you'll be strong as always. Happy Holidays.
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shipoopoi
Big Wall climber
oakland
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glad you are back home and safe conrad. you can still get rad at low altitudes, of course. ss
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Good call, Conrad! Heal well and fast.
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Grippa
Trad climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Heal up fast old timer!
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Crump
Social climber
Lakewood, CO
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Dec 10, 2016 - 06:38am PT
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Amazing outcome for an amazing man. The couple of times I have met him he always made me feel special. What a special man and adventurer he is.
Climb on, climb strong and climb high Conrad!!!!!
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karabin museum
Trad climber
phoenix, az
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Dec 10, 2016 - 08:43am PT
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Superstar!!!
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hellroaring
Trad climber
San Francisco
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Dec 10, 2016 - 11:38am PT
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Conrad, you are a rare breed and a good man. Years ago as a fledgling noob, myself and 2 buddies, through an incredible stroke of good luck, spent the day climbing with you at J Tree. I started out nervous & embarrassed, but your warmth, patience, and encouragement soon melted that away. We had an amazing one to one conversation about loss, life, & climbing and your excitement to see someone else falling in love with rock climbing seemed genuine. It's something I truly will never forget.
So heal up well Conrad, and know that many many people send you warmth, energy, and respect. You are a true role model to all the boys out there on being a man. Thanks for all the things out've done for others. We need more like you.
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Hard Rock
Trad climber
Montana
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Dec 10, 2016 - 03:17pm PT
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C- Had my stroke about 3 years ago. Can recommend the heart institute at St. Pats. Still climbing and biking. Hope you can do he same. Tried to convince the youth around Missoula and Butte that I shouldn't be carrying a pack. Hasn't worked out. Maybe you will have better luck around Bozeman. Enjoy.
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Conrad
climber
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Dec 11, 2016 - 11:26am PT
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Thanks all for the kind words. A friend called and mentioned this thread. I'm humbled by the kindness people have sent my way. It's a nice to have friends. I'm most thankful to David Lama for his help. Tenzing, Mungo and Stefan - with gratitude.
On the 16th of November 2016 I had to turn back from our attempt on Lunag Ri. This was our second go at the peak. I figured everything was going well till I got schooled.
I was diagnosed with an acute anterior wall myocardial infarction. This is commonly referred to as a heart attack. As this medical situation is very time sensitive the medical team used emergent coronary angiography to identify an acute flush thrombotic occlusion of my approximal left anterior descending (LAD) artery. This was opened and a PROMUS drug eluting stent was placed where the occlusion had lodged itself. From onset to procedure was 9 hours. The procedure took 32 minutes.
David went back to the route and gave it a go solo. He got a little higher than we did last year. It's a cold mountain.
Time to let these type of climbs go. The ego is a task master. We are always trying to let it go. Once step closer? Maybe. I have realized I don't need to prove anything to myself or anyone else. Just be.
Every now and then we get something special in life. These moments are rare. Cherish them and thank your friends and family that helped create them. In between we live life well enough. Caring for others, making sure the bills get paid and dedicating a bit of time to the activities that define our being. Climbing is this for us. The glass is never full yet it is never empty. If you are reading this you are not wanting the basic necessities in life (I hope!)
so our life is very full!
Thanks for the kindness.
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ecdh
climber
the east
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Dec 11, 2016 - 11:34am PT
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Not much on the net stops me in my tracks but your post does CA.
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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Dec 11, 2016 - 09:42pm PT
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Best to you Con-Rad . . . met you years ago in Park West Utah at some GD show . . . you were a good dude! I crossed paths with ST in Cordova, AK even before that and feel that you are both family . . . Keep Truckin' On!
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Dec 11, 2016 - 09:52pm PT
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Conrad, so glad that you had a good outcome. I know that you will come back stronger than ever.
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F
climber
away from the ground
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Dec 11, 2016 - 10:22pm PT
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Gnar.
Glad you had a best case outcome, Conrad.
The ego is a task master. We are always trying to let it go. Once step closer? Maybe. I have realized I don't need to prove anything to myself or anyone else. Just be.
This is wisdom.
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SFDukie
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Dec 12, 2016 - 12:45am PT
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Thanks for your post and story, Conrad. Glad for you and your family you're ok. You're an inpiration to me and many others- especially for me as we're close in age.
A comment about "dialing it back", in light of comments above (and these remarks are'n't addressed to CA) If you're in the sixth decade of life, you need a good doc. And you need to know the signs and symptoms of heart disease, what your individual risk factors (family history, blood pressure, cholesterol and other lipid markers, for heavens sake don't smoke, etc). But if you're ok on all those fronts, with no cardiovascular disease and no significant risk factors- cardiac risk isn't a reason to be dialing it back. There may be lots of other reasons, of course- but imo cardiac risks aren't one of them.
Don Taylor
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Dec 12, 2016 - 01:26am PT
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Conrad, wow. Guess it's a good time to get some rest, enjoy the family and ponder life. Seems like you've always had a knack for making the right call at the right time, this incident included and I suspect that trend will continue long into the future. All the best.
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, Moab, A sailboat, or some time zone
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Dec 12, 2016 - 07:55am PT
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Heal well!
A beautiful perspective...thanks for that.
Susan
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Dec 12, 2016 - 08:09am PT
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Glad you are ok, Conrad. Never a dull moment! Life is one big mystery...and not always what it seems. You plan things out the best you can...the rest seems random! Another grand and scary adventure. Keep on cranking!
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snakefoot
climber
Nor Cal
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Dec 12, 2016 - 09:36am PT
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first of all, glad that this did not turn into a disaster and that conrad is ok. Second, it takes a lot of courage to get to a point where one posts as conrad did.
Though we have never met, I have always been inspired by what you have done conrad, especially back in the day when you and Mugs did some incredible stuff and i was more impressionable (not intended to diminish your achievements in any way). glad that you have made your own assessment of what is worth risking life for and that you know these things need not be your challenge anymore.. keep tearing it up in whatever way you choose. we will all be dead longer than the time we once lived....
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Dec 12, 2016 - 09:44am PT
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Time to let these type of climbs go.
Time to start surfing.
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ladyscarlett
Trad climber
SF Bay Area, California
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Dec 12, 2016 - 10:06am PT
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Best wishes on your speedy recovery!
I have this strong suspicion that there won't be much slowing down. Rather perhaps, a change in scope?
Best wishes,
Cheers
LS
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Dec 12, 2016 - 10:47am PT
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I heard about your calamitous event on Facebook. Your mountaineering and humanitarian feats have provided such inspiration to the climbing community over the years.
The unexpected sometimes come with a big wallop. But what a wonderful outcome - that you lived!! Every day is a precious gift, especially when, as you alluded, you do not have to struggle every day for basic survival. Life is good.
Wishing you all the very best for continued happiness going forward.
Phyl
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Rick A
climber
Boulder, Colorado
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Dec 13, 2016 - 08:32am PT
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Conrad,
I am so glad to hear you're ok!
As you said, you have nothing to prove: you've got several lifetimes' worth of great climbs behind you. There is no downside to dialing it back a little. To everything, there is a season.
Rick
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Dec 15, 2016 - 03:29pm PT
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So glad that you came through this event well.
No need to try and single-handedly turn the Old Bold Climbers maxim on its ear.
Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery. You deserve it.
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