Learnings From an Ice Climber’s 30-Metre Plunge

It was a foggy day in late June, with light winds, low cloud and moderate temperatures for the mountains, when a party of four, including Samuel Krampera, set off for a day’s ice climbing.

They were headed for Touchdown, a popular spot on the south face of Single Cone, not far from the Remarkables ski field. For Samuel, an accomplished rock climber and frequent tramper, it was only his second time on ice.

“I’ve wanted to try ice climbing for ages,” says the 32-year-old. “It was my goal for this winter to crack into it.”

Two weeks earlier, Samuel had joined friends who showed him the basics, and he’d had a blast, knocking off three routes, also in the Touchdown area. Today was meant to be more of the same.

His group on this occasion comprised two experienced ice climbers and another who, like Samuel, was a beginner ice climber but skilled rock climber.

The group had been checking the weather regularly before the trip, taking note of the wind. On the day, whilst not perfect, the weather forecast was more than good enough for ice climbing. Only light winds, with no precipitation – rain or snow – and some low cloud were forecast.

It was early in the season for ice climbing, but thanks to cold temperatures in May, the ice had formed comparatively early and limited snow meant avalanche danger was low, allowing many climbers to venture out. Not surprisingly, then, Samuel’s group joined numerous others also heading out to Touchdown. 

They’d got an early start, parking at the bottom of the Remarkables ski area and setting off around 7.30 am. The plan for the day was for the two experienced climbers to climb first, setting up the anchor point for Samuel and his friend, before continuing another pitch upwards.

“They made a top rope set-up for us to be able to easily climb up and have fun, and then we understood they would continue climbing,” explains Samuel. “They left us the rope hanging down, so that we could top rope from the bottom.”

Samuel climbed first, belayed from the bottom.

A climber undertaking a similar route to Samuel at the Touchdown slabs area. Credit | Sam Smoothy

“I got to the top and I didn’t check the anchor properly. I should have, but I trusted the guy that had set it up.” While Samuel had just met him, this friend of a friend was an experienced mountaineer with close to 10 years’ climbing experience.

His belayer started lowering Samuel down, and all seemed to be going to plan, until it wasn’t. Just 5 metres below the anchor, the sling at the anchor point came untied and Samuel started plummeting down the steep, icy face, falling 15 m, landing and then rolling another 15 m before coming to an eventual stop.

“I was still believing that the rope would catch me at some point, until I landed,” he says. “I realised that I’d landed and was rolling, which was the moment I knew that I would probably survive.”

Still conscious, he sat up but was forced to lay back down, with severe pain in his lower back and chest.

Other climbers were quick to act. “There were four or five people by me within a minute,” he says. Among them was a doctor from Dunedin, who assessed his injuries and made him comfortable.

The other climbers rallied, activating a personal locator beacon and phoning search and rescue too. They dug out a hollow in the snow and laid out empty backpacks for Samuel to lie on, providing insulation from the snow. They collected extra clothing for him and covered him with a reflective blanket to keep him as warm as possible.

“I was very well looked after at the time,” says a grateful Samuel.

Due to low cloud, it was one-and-a-half hours before a helicopter arrived, while in the meantime a rescue team had made it up on foot. Eventually, Samuel was winched into the chopper and flown to Queenstown Hospital.

Samuel suffered serious injuries in the fall, including a fractured vertebrae and sternum, but he was lucky it wasn’t worse.

Four weeks after the accident, he’s progressing well. “I’m happy with the recovery so far. I can walk and exercise a small amount. I should be able to get back to work in 1 or 2 months.”

What had gone so wrong that day? On close inspection after the fall, it was discovered that the sling tied to the anchor point had come untied. “There were three ice screws well set in solid ice. The only terrible problem was that the whole system depended on that tied sling – there was no backup.”

It appears that the overhand knot that was used was not appropriate for this type of sling, the ‘tails’ on the knot were most likely not long enough, and each leg of the anchor was not isolated and therefore there was no redundancy. This caused the rope system that Samuel was relying on to collapse.

It’s a mistake that Samuel does not want repeated by anyone, and he’s keen to share some key lessons learnt from the incident.

Lessons Learnt the Hard Way

• Double-check everything: Trust but verify – perform thorough buddy checks, validate anchors and other setups with your climbing partners. Regularly check and recheck your gear, and ensure your climbing partners do the same. Don’t assume experience equates to infallibility – everyone can make mistakes.
• Get the skills: When beginning, it’s worthwhile getting professional guidance to instil good, safe practices from the start. Seek out mentors willing to devote time and energy to ensuring your safety and developing your skills.
• Communication is key: Have open conversations with your team during the trip planning, on the way to the climbing spot, while climbing and as part of a post-trip debrief. Decisions should only be made after you’ve talked it through as a group. No matter what the level of experience within your group, discuss best-practice techniques for rope work and climbing skills to ensure everyone is on the same page before you start climbing.

HEADER PHOTO | Climbers preparing to climb at the Touchdown climbing area. CREDIT | Bianca Bratton