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rlf
Trad climber
Josh, CA
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Oct 19, 2008 - 06:39pm PT
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Ok, now that that's over. For all the people who post on this site, and who know god knows how many people, do we have an details on what happened?
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PD
Big Wall climber
Reno, NV
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Oct 19, 2008 - 09:17pm PT
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I'm not sure about the details yet and maybe I should wait with responding until I do, but I climbed the Salathe Wall earlier this month with James and he does not fall into the category of an ill-prepared climber lured by a glossy topo. He paid his dues in the mountains and I'm sure whatever happened to him was the result of an accident that could have happened anywhere -- not something specific to Zion, or Touchstone, or any place for which some topo has been widely distributed. The Salthe was his first El Cap route and he climbed it like it was his tenth.
I rarely meet people as kind, intelligent, caring, motivated, and genuine as James. I'm glad I had the privilege to spend time with him. He will be missed by everyone he ever touched.
--Pete
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Oct 19, 2008 - 09:26pm PT
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hey there pete... say, i just saw this, and i must say:
thank you for saluting your dear friend... death is so final, and the one that passes on, has no way to speak of his final hours, and what happened or why... his moment is gone... folks can only wonder... and their way is left "undone"...
thanks for trying to "tie up any lose ends", and for playing his cards as best you could, and as correct as you could...
friends are forever, and i know everone here holds that dear...
once again, very sorry to hear of this awful loss...
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Paulina
Trad climber
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Oct 19, 2008 - 10:44pm PT
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Very sad news. Condolences to James's friends and family.
Many of us will probably be watching this thread for details of the accident...
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Trad climber
San Francisco, Ca
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Oct 19, 2008 - 11:09pm PT
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These are the accidents that hit home. A competent climber on a route lots of us have been on.
Sad. RIP.
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Anastasia
climber
Not there
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Oct 19, 2008 - 11:21pm PT
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Piton Ron,
Just because you think before feeling doesn't mean your heart is in the wrong place. You are just an analytical thinker. I know you mean well and wish to find the causes to prevent this from happening again. It's a noble desire...
AF
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climbrunride
Trad climber
Durango, CO
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Oct 19, 2008 - 11:50pm PT
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This sucks! Sad to hear the very sad news :-(
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Oct 20, 2008 - 12:40am PT
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hey there piton ron,
say, anastasia said a good thing to note, there...
everyone "tunes up their ears" to all these sad accidents in different ways, so as to help, watch, look, study and learn--we are all different, and we have different jobs to do, to help folks through all this...
some jobs are seemingly hard to understand, and such, too, to others... so we must all remember this, too...
good job, anastasia... :)
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nick b
climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Oct 20, 2008 - 09:13am PT
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I only hung with James for a few weekends, but I sure will miss him. He was a good guy, and this is a terrible loss.
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Double D
climber
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Oct 20, 2008 - 12:02pm PT
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This is very sad news indeed. My condolences and prayers go out to all of James family and friends.
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yossarian
climber
WA
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Oct 21, 2008 - 10:26am PT
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More info:
Zion spokesman Tom Haraden said Welton was unmarried and his parents live in Iowa. Welton was climbing with Matt Tuttle of Kamas, Utah, and Robert Hooker of Elko, Nev.
His Durango address was on Misty Lane, but Haraden said Welton had been living with Hooker in Elko for the last six months.
Touchstone Wall is a 1,000-foot climb from the Virgin River to the top and usually takes two days with an overnight stay on a portable ledge. Haraden described Welton as an experienced climber and said the investigation so far does not assign blame to Welton or specifically his equipment.
"While the cause of the incident is still being investigated, Welton was climbing a rope using mechanical ascenders. It appears the ascenders may not have been fully engaged, resulting in a 20-foot fall along the rope. When the ascenders did fully engage, the shock severed the rope," Haraden wrote in a news release.
Haraden said he wants to get accurate information to fellow climbers.
"We want the climbing community to know, because when we don't, all the blogs just guess. It makes for a big mess, and we want people to learn," he said.
"They can assess his technique and equipment, and if something could have been done differently, they can spread the word so it doesn't happen again."
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Prod
Big Wall climber
A place w/o Avitars apparently
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Oct 21, 2008 - 10:50am PT
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How could this happen? Jugging a skinny line? Wow.
""While the cause of the incident is still being investigated, Welton was climbing a rope using mechanical ascenders. It appears the ascenders may not have been fully engaged, resulting in a 20-foot fall along the rope. When the ascenders did fully engage, the shock severed the rope," Haraden wrote in a news release. ""
Prod.
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Anguish
Mountain climber
Jackson Hole Wyo.
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Oct 21, 2008 - 01:12pm PT
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Confirming earlier post; this from NPS morning report:
Preliminary investigation reveals that Welton was climbing a rope using mechanical ascenders. It appears that a short fall occurred, causing the ascenders to sever the rope. [Submitted by Ray O’Neil, Plateau District Ranger]
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Barto
climber
Minneapolis, MN
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Oct 21, 2008 - 03:12pm PT
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I know that canyoneers jug 8mms.
Do any of you wallmeisters haul and jug 8s?
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nick b
climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Oct 21, 2008 - 03:17pm PT
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From rockclimbing.com (http://www.rockclimbing.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1993384);:
DETAILS ON JAMES'S MEMORIAL SERVICES
In Iowa:
Viewing on Friday, 24 October. 4-8 pm, scripture service at 7pm. Hugeback and Chenoweth Funeral Home in New Hampton, IA. www.hugebackfuneralhome.com
Funeral on Saturday, 25 October, 10:30 am. Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Charles City, IA.
In Salt Lake City:
Memorial service on Saturday, 1 November, 4:30 to 8:30 pm, at the private home of a friend of James and Jamie. Details can be found at www.lifetributes.com/JamesMartinWelton
Please help me by linking or posting this information to the other climbing blogs, websites, forums, etc. that are tracking memorial statements for James. I need all the help I can get right now.
Thanks, all,
James's girlfriend, Jamie Fields
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Oct 21, 2008 - 03:21pm PT
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Ho man! This is alarming.
The ascenders severed the rope?
A short fall?
If the height reported was correct was he attempting to free the third pitch while seconding (a tempting prospect since the jams are so solid)?
What kind of ascenders?
Did the "fall" torque the rope into the cam in an unintended manner?
This is a very sad event, but an opportunity here exists to learn a lesson that might save others. Crackhead was out of line before. I wasn't trying to make this about me. But every time somebody dies on a route where I made critical decisions it gives me pause for consideration and tends to re-enforce my dismissal of critics that say I make routes too "easy".
There is evidently risk enough.
Indeed, if one looks at the numbers "easy" routes tend to make some climbers fail to appreciate some hazards. And that IS a lesson that can be rough to learn.
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
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Oct 21, 2008 - 04:14pm PT
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A severed line while jugging, that's a terrifying thought. Even staying tied in to the end and diligence with back-up knots doesn't cover that failure. No plausible or practicable way to make the rope redundant in a jugging system.
Sobering, awful.
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ricardo-sf
Sport climber
San Francisco
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Oct 21, 2008 - 07:05pm PT
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condolences ..
.. and i hope we get more info on this accident .. important to know would be
1. diameter of rope
2. brand/type of ascenders
3. any other attachments that he had to the rope.
.. dobtful that he would have free climbed above his ascenders (thats way too dengerous and from what i've heard on this thread this was a safe climber).
.. how far was he from the previous belay when he severed the rope .. (was he alreday ascending .. or coming off the belay onto the ascenders)..
scary stuff to severe the rope .. i usually have 1 or more dreams about that when i am on el cap..
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shutupandclimb
climber
So. Cal..............d00d
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Oct 21, 2008 - 07:22pm PT
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This is sad news, as always when a climber is injured or killed while pursuing "our" passion, I am left feeling personally saddened. My condolences to friends and family.
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climbnbikegirl
climber
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Oct 21, 2008 - 11:09pm PT
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I had the privilege of knowing James for a short while and spent some time climbing with him. He was an expert climber and always respected the danger that came with his passion for climbing. He was very encouraging and supportive of my climbing and always made me feel like I could finish the route even if I doubted myself. He also made a mean batch of cinnamon rolls in a dutch oven!
The climbing community lost a good one last Friday. My hearfelt sympathies to his friends and family. He will be missed.
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