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tradman
Trad climber
australia
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 2, 2004 - 07:26am PT
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Gday all,
Will be heading to the Valley for three weeks in September. Am very amped as I have read so much about the location, history, personalities etc....
One question. In a worst cast senario when a rescue is required (as a result of injury) who ends up paying the bill??? A few years back a local Aussie guy was on El Cap and broke his leg in an accident - major hassels developed and I think he ended up avoiding some type of fine/rescue bill and he is still avoiding it....
Am keen to avoid a similar situation in a effort to stay onside with US authorities (for future work/travel reasons).
Insurance suggestions anyone???
Which climbing clubs/associations in the USA include insurance cover for their members in rescue/emergency situations. As an Australian resident am I able to join??
Thanks
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scooter
climber
B loop site 15
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unless you do something really stupid like trying to climb El Cap solo in cotton sweats with a down bag you most likely would not have to pay for the rescue. But....good insurance to have is DAN which is Divers Alert Network. It is not only for divers but travelers and climbers as well. I think that they offer payment for lost stolen gear, rescue anywhere in the world and if you happen to be a diver decompression if you get the bends. There is also the American Alpine Club which offers the same but with out the decompression. Your best bet though is to not even contemplate needing rescue or don't do it if you are only there because you know YOSAR will come bail you out if you get into a spot. On an off note, how do the cute little Aussie chicks treat American climber guys? Ha.
Patrick
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NeverSurfaced
Trad climber
Behind a shrub
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Sorry mate, you’ve come to the wrong place for climbing info. If you want to weigh in on gun control or religion though, feel free.
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Dad
Trad climber
Mariposa Ca.
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Rescues in Yosemite are not charegd for.Even if the climbing party does something dumb & reckless, the most I have seen is a charge of reckless endangerment,and a small fine.
Enjoy your stay & climb safe.
Mark
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Gazzo
climber
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Either check out the American Alpine Association for insurance or call YOSAR direct and ask them. My understanding is that you have to really create a liability, i.e. mentioned above, climbing El Cap solo, in cotton, during a storm, with a down bag, no fly, etc. for them to consider slapping a fine on you. And even then, good chance you could fight it in court.
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Tommy
Big Wall climber
London
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Get insurance from the British Mountaineering Club - it's great insurance and I have never had problems with pay-outs. You can get the insurance online, effective immediately.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Rescues from El Cap are generally "free", if you consider the cost of a helicopter and the risk of life to your rescuers to be "free". Someone's paying for it, even if it ain't you.
Rescues from El Cap are also pretty easy. '911' is a free call even for people with out-of-state cell phones like me. I found this out by phoning in a rescue in '96 for someone near me.
The authorities are more and more likely these days to charge you for your rescue if they can find an excuse. Rescues - especially those involving helicopters - are extraordinarily expensive. If they can find a way to blame you and bill you, they probably will.
The most infamous example of this was in the case of some Austrians [I think] who went up on The Shield improperly prepared. As far as I can recall, they had down sleeping bags [not synthetic], no bivi sacks, no rain fly for their ledge [or one that was no good] and perhaps no rain gear. These guys were rescued, and they were billed something in the order of $20,000. I'm guessing this happened in the mid- to late-90's. For sure someone around here will know.
Here is a link, but I'm not sure if it is the correct story or not, since I can't look at it on my machine:
http://data2.itc.nps.gov/morningreport/archive/1996/05-21.doc
Can someone else find a web page link to this story?
The problem is that there is no clearly defined criteria for when a rescue is 'free' to the climbers being rescued [because they took every reasonable precaution, but sh#t happens] or climbers were charged [because they were negligent]. Even more significant is that people still manage to die in Yosemite all the time, despite rescuers being a free 911 cell phone call away!
When it comes to climbing on big walls, "DFU". Be prepared for every reasonable contingency. It is, after all, your bollocks.
For a complete listing of everything you never wanted to take on a big wall, you can click here to read
[url="http://www.rockclimbing.com/articles/view.php?ID=53"]Dr. Piton's Ultimate Big Wall Checklist.[/url]
It's had almost 10,000 pages views so climbers are reading it, but most significantly quite a number of people in The Valley have told me in person that they use it as their own checklist when taking to the walls of Yosemite. So use it as you like. Just remember - Dr. Piton Technology is like a smorgassbord - put the stuff you like on your plate, and leave the rest behind in the bowls. Be sure to click the links and the photos, and like, don't forget you Big Wall Umbrella, eh?
Cheers,
Pete
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WBraun
climber
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Not so DAD! Many have been fined and charged!
Werner
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Bloodynipples
Big Wall climber
The Mountain Room Bar
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Pass-the-Porno-Pete-
do you ever friggin climb!?!
or do you always just post and write lame articles!
Wassup!
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Dad
Trad climber
Mariposa Ca.
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Sorry werner!
I have not seen the the leagl aftermath & repercussions.
I Only had the info on storries ive been told.Id listen to those that have more experience than I.
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funkness
Boulder climber
Ca.
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I heard they only charge Australians.
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Bob Jones
Trad climber
san luis obispo
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i heard they charge australians triple, cause they always drink too much fosters.
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