Death on Mount Washington

[Red Oak]

IM not sure what point your trying to make, but all hiking is risky. The level of risk even for soloing washington in the winter is different for everyone, some might suggest ( myself included) that someone with the proper experience might have a minimal risk.

Or maybe going up the west side which is easier?amc white mountain guide says that jewell trail is the easiest way up.I did this hike solo last winter,up jewell and down the ammo.I had a pole and a ice axe.I wonder if people feel doing the mountain from the west is a big deal or not?"Experience" is a very subjective word.Hope we can all learn from this accident.Very sad...

 

[sierra]

Or maybe going up the west side which is easier?amc white mountain guide says that jewell trail is the easiest way up.I did this hike solo last winter,up jewell and down the ammo.I had a pole and a ice axe.I wonder if people feel doing the mountain from the west is a big deal or not?"Experience" is a very subjective word.Hope we can all learn from this accident.Very sad...

I think the east and west routes each have thier respective hazards. I think Mt. Washington is a mountain that "can" be a big deal from any side. The mountain can be very unforgiving if your not prepared or make a bad choice, just look at the wooden board listing all the names of those who died on its flanks in the summit house, Im sure they all think the mountain is a "big deal".

 

[Mike P.]

Thanks for posting that link, Roy. It was a good article.

The statement - "He did not have an ice axe, though he borrowed a single ski pole to use. In this case, an ice axe and the ability to self-arrest on a slope (something you have to practice BEFORE you start up the mountain) might well have made a difference." gives me pause, however. Clearly, an ice axe used quickly in the right conditions may save your life - the important word is MAY. It's not a certainty that you will be able to stop the slide.

The line between when to use poles and when to use an ice axe is not at all clear, and may vary every few feet of your trek. Many will agree that the most important thing is to prevent a slip in the first place, and poles are a better tool for that than an ice axe. And, when to switch between the two often varies between individuals with similar experience.

I don't wish to nitpick the author. However, I do think that too many writers create the false impression that "if only he/she had an ice axe" the outcome would likely have been different, and in doing so create a false sense of security in an ice axe itself.

And also Copied from Red Oak:

"Or maybe going up the west side which is easier?amc white mountain guide says that jewell trail is the easiest way up.I did this hike solo last winter,up jewell and down the ammo.I had a pole and a ice axe.I wonder if people feel doing the mountain from the west is a big deal or not?"Experience" is a very subjective word.Hope we can all learn from this accident.Very sad

Oddly, with regard to the well respected "Freedom Of The Hills" most of us in the east, myself included' tend to use poles, then crampons when needed & then ice axe in rare circumstances. FOTH, shows the axe should come out first, not so much for self-arrest but for self belay. A pole, or even two make a lousy belay. You can put weight on them when under control but not on ice, the tips just slide. (That said, I likely would have had two poles & Crampons unless I had planned on descending the headwall)

For several years, I had planned a trip up Washington for winter (as I am slowly completing the 48 X four seasons, fall & Spring done) and everytime up, weather made an alternate destination a better plan. Finally the weather cooperated & the three or four people I was planning on hiking with canceled. So I went up solo (about 60% of my trips are solo) on a day where it was mid-20's with barely a breeze, a slight wind only on top of maybe 10-15 MPH for a few minutes)

West Vs. East is usually about weather Vs. Avalanche conditions. Generally the western approach is less prone to avalanche, although one storm with winds from the NE or E & enough snow on icy crust could change that in some spots. The snow rangers don't report on that side so it's unlikely.

Most of the time, the most gruesome storms are accompanied with N or W (or combination) winds. In those cases, approaching from the East, the cone itself provides some shelter most of the way while you're really out in the weather from the west. if visibility becomes an issue, it usually does when it's bad, that side is pretty featureless, other than the cog. In 20 feet of visibilty every rock pretty much looks alike. (my wife says that with my pictures )

Personally on questionable days I prefer places like Garfield, Liberty, Cannon or South Twin which give you a taste of the weather but have small open areas where 20 feet is plenty of visibility to see the next feature that leads to very near by tree cover.

 

[erugs]

Oddly, with regard to the well respected "Freedom Of The Hills" most of us in the east, myself included' tend to use poles, then crampons when needed & then ice axe in rare circumstances. FOTH, shows the axe should come out first, not so much for self-arrest but for self belay. A pole, or even two make a lousy belay. You can put weight on them when under control but not on ice, the tips just slide.

I use poles, too, but they are not at all helpful on even a little bit of ice and I am very conscious of not depending on them, which is hard if I have planted them! Habits are difficult to break. Strangely, in recent years I've found myself using them as a counter-balance, not just a resource for placing weight. Crossed poles help me get up in deep snow, if they haven't prevented me from falling, as well as stream crossings, or getting someone's attention.

So, I wonder how many people who have ice axes have learned proper techniques for using them or even practice using them? There are so many scenarious and right and wrong ways that I've found refreshers are very helpful for helping in situations we don't experience very often.

 

[DSettahr]

So, I wonder how many people who have ice axes have learned proper techniques for using them or even practice using them? There are so many scenarious and right and wrong ways that I've found refreshers are very helpful for helping in situations we don't experience very often.

Unfortunately, probably very few. I see lots of hikers who seem to carry them because they look cool. I've also witnessed a lot of improper ice-ax use here in the Adirondacks.

It doesn't take long to learn how to use an ax properly, but it is important that everyone who carries one do so. One thing I did was spend an afternoon on a slide on Algonquin a few winters ago with a friend practicing self arrests. It was a small slide, perfect for throwing yourself down it- no risk of avalanche, and if you didn't stop you'd just land in the huge pile of snow at the base of it. We had a lot of fun throwing ourselves off the top of the slide in different directions and practicing trying to self-arrest before we hit the bottom, and it was also a great way to gain experience with the ax.

 

[erugs]

Unfortunately, probably very few. I see lots of hikers who seem to carry them because they look cool. I've also witnessed a lot of improper ice-ax use here in the Adirondacks.

It doesn't take long to learn how to use an ax properly, but it is important that everyone who carries one do so. One thing I did was spend an afternoon on a slide on Algonquin a few winters ago with a friend practicing self arrests. It was a small slide, perfect for throwing yourself down it- no risk of avalanche, and if you didn't stop you'd just land in the huge pile of snow at the base of it. We had a lot of fun throwing ourselves off the top of the slide in different directions and practicing trying to self-arrest before we hit the bottom, and it was also a great way to gain experience with the ax.

Yes, practice by throwing yourself down under somewhat controlled circumstances, i.e. planned. Practice falling down on one side, then the other, then on your back head up and then on your back, face down. I've seen people carrying their axes in the wrong position and facing the wrong way. When you fall, it is unlikely that it will be in your favored position. A is for adze, which is first in the alphabet and faces forward, was one tip I've learned. How to hold it in your hand is another where you can get hurt more if not doing it right.

 

[mtruman]

According to a friend who was on the summit that day (on an OBS day trip) they talked to a hiker that arrived on the summit at around 1:30pm. He said that
"he was not really aware of the Lion Head Winter trail. And he thought there was shelter at the summit of Mt Washington. After hearing that there was shelter instead at Lakes of the Clouds it seems he went back down. He was planning on going down the Headwall - but that would have been after dark by that time."

When I checked with him again based on the other accounts of the person who fell, he said that the guy that they talked to had an ice axe on his pack (and the time on the summit doesn't exactly match). Apparently the person that gave the trekking pole to the hiker that fell also told him to go down Lion Head. Either the facts are somewhat out of sync and it's the same person, or there were two people (at least) that were up there that day that didn't know what they were getting into. If so, it's fortunate that the second one made it down OK.

 

[sierra]

Oddly, with regard to the well respected "Freedom Of The Hills" most of us in the east, myself included' tend to use poles, then crampons when needed & then ice axe in rare circumstances. FOTH, shows the axe should come out first, not so much for self-arrest but for self belay. A pole, or even two make a lousy belay. You can put weight on them when under control but not on ice, the tips just slide.

I use poles, too, but they are not at all helpful on even a little bit of ice and I am very conscious of not depending on them, which is hard if I have planted them! Habits are difficult to break. Strangely, in recent years I've found myself using them as a counter-balance, not just a resource for placing weight. Crossed poles help me get up in deep snow, if they haven't prevented me from falling, as well as stream crossings, or getting someone's attention.

So, I wonder how many people who have ice axes have learned proper techniques for using them or even practice using them? There are so many scenarious and right and wrong ways that I've found refreshers are very helpful for helping in situations we don't experience very often.

My favorite route is the Lions head winter route and I always use an ice axe when i climb it. I have always made it a point train with all my gear in many techniques. Self arresting, french technique, steep snow and ice, you cant just buy a tool like an ice ax and charge up a route. You practice in a controlled enviorment and hone your skills before you try them on a steep route. I had to tech myself, books I used where basically 2 "Freedom of the Hills" and yvon Choinards(sp) climbing ice, buy those to, study them, practice and your good to go.