In a Crevase

[Idris]

A couple of days ago a buddy of mine, Jim .Was starting a tour up the col du tacul. He got about 50 yards off the Valley Blanche tourist route following the normal skin track and fell in a crevasse! Luckily he only went a few feet before hitting snow…in the rush to get out he managed to fall another few feet, maybe ten to fifteen before the rest of the group got a rope to him…

. Apart from a few bumps and scratches he was ok, but both skis had come off, one of the group rappelled into the hole and retrieved one, but couldn’t see the other…..

Three days later Jim, Sue (along to laugh at us) and I went to look for the missing ski. A very warm day, 2 hours of waiting for The Midi tram, a ski run containing thousands of gapers, the bumps were slush at 3500m!….Jim pointed out the hole from quite a distance and was a bit weary to get nearer than 50ft, he had previously fallen in by following a skin track!….

I sidestepped up to the hole and looked in….We messed about for a good 2 min setting up an anchor. There was about 3 ft of heavy soft snow on the glacial ice….not deep or firm enough for the trusty fence post I had dragged along. The ice was brittle and variable so an Ice screw was out….I decided on a buried ski…set at 90 degrees to the load with a sling between the bindings, buried as deep as possible….


I tried down climbing into the hole, crampons and 2 axes but the ice was unpleasant, rappelling was the way to go…. Being the first to test an anchor is always unnerving, I had Jim ready to sit on it if it started to move. About 5 m down I was stood on snow between 2 walls of blue, I dug for about an hour, managing about 2m down, 4m in each direction with the slot narrowing to 50cm before giving up….

.Getting out was the next task I tried may axes and narrowly missed smashing myself in the face. The ice was dinnerplating, the pick would go in 10cm or so and a piece 20cm across pull off as I put weight on it….time to climb the rope, this is when I am very glad I bought a DMM/wildcountry ropeman. Well 2 actually, they consist of 2 small plates and a cam, using a large carabineer through the 2 plates to hold the rope against the cam. These devices don’t weigh much more than a traditional string prusik, but work as well as any large jumar….5 min of messing about and I was up and out….

.Jim rappelled in and dug for another hour before he gave up as well…The Mer du Glace claims another ski, at least we tried…..Jim has decided to replace his Explosive with bumtribes.


http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic20787.jpg

Sue just sitting next to the hole, the anchor is a buried ski at the end of the sling, there is another ski at the lip to stop the rope cutting in.

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic20788.jpg

Me dropping in gently

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic20790.jpg

Most of the way out looking down to where i had just spent the last hour.

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic20791.jpg

Jim looking concerned, I'm nearly out so it's his turn

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic20789.jpg
Ji braving the icy depths that nearly climed him a few days ago.

[G]

Poor Tom, never does anything fun

You should get a real job or something!

seriously, Glad to hear that you're all okay. The ski will show up eventually, you just need to wait a few years or so......

[train07]

that's a bummer cause you know it's in there just waiting.......possible someone on the message boards has a mate to that ski...anyway i have no climbing experience but i'd say that's an exciting and daring recovery attempt....thanks for sharing the gear info....

[splat]

Sucks, Tom. Hopefully we'll never have to go down one of those holes to fish out a Punani. But I'd also suggest trying to mate that ski with one from someone on the board.

[Endlessseason]

Originally posted by Geoff
Poor Tom, never does anything fun

No kidding. What a life. Glad to hear you're still kicking around, Tom. I've missed your TR's this year. You've prolly been posting em and I've been too busy traveling to see them.

[SherpaStyle]

The Mer du Glace claims another ski, at least we tried

You really need to start burning PTex at the top of the midi. I can't believe I never did that. How much gear did I sacrifice to that mountain last season?

[iskibc]

Glad to hear everyone made it out safe. Great hearing from you again Tom. Your adventures never get boring. You could have looped a giant magnet to the end of the rope to get that sucker out .

[meatdrink9]

Crazy man. All that stuff is so out of my league. I have no idea what half the gear listed even is.

[powstash]

there is another ski at the lip to stop the rope cutting in.

Haven't used a ski before for the lip. I've always used a shovel handle (round and won't flex) I guess a ski would work just as good.

Have used a ski for an anchor buried perpendicular to the rope line into the crevase. Did you anchor the rope to the ski or to a piece of webbing that was attached to the ski/anchor? [/Glacier rescue jargin]

[ak_powder_monkey]

Originally posted by powstash
Haven't used a ski before for the lip. I've always used a shovel handle (round and won't flex) I guess a ski would work just as good.

Have used a ski for an anchor buried perpendicular to the rope line into the crevase. Did you anchor the rope to the ski or to a piece of webbing that was attached to the ski/anchor? [/Glacier rescue jargin]

There was something about that in Backcountry magazine

[Idris]

Originally posted by powstash
Haven't used a ski before for the lip. I've always used a shovel handle (round and won't flex) I guess a ski would work just as good.

Have used a ski for an anchor buried perpendicular to the rope line into the crevase. Did you anchor the rope to the ski or to a piece of webbing that was attached to the ski/anchor? [/Glacier rescue jargin]

Shovel was busy being used for digging...see it waiting at the bottom for Jim totake his shift.

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic20790.jpg

A ski distributes the load better, the snow was soft and the shovel handle would have sunk.

I put a sling (guess it would be called webbing in the USA) around the ski...about 3cm wide it sits nicely against the ski, this was attached to the rope using a large screwgate carrabiner.

We have found Jim a replacement Exploder from Volkl by way of Stian !

[Lostinthetrees]

Quoted ...Three days later Jim, Sue (along to laugh at us) and I went to look for the missing ski. A very warm day, 2 hours of waiting for The Midi tram, a ski run containing thousands of gapers, the bumps were slush at 3500m!...end.


What else to do in La Valle Blanche? Faced w/ a very warm Spring day, crowded w/ gapers, shitty snow conditions, etc.

Idris goes looking for buried treasure in glaciers! Reminds me of guys w/ metal detectors on the Florida beaches off-season. Too cold to swim, rough surf conditions, windy, and weak sunshine. Can't even get a proper tan! Get out the METAL DETECTOR, walk the beaches and search for buried treasure.

This opens up a new dimension to off-season guided tours in La Valle Blanche! Sounds like a new business opportunity.

later, LITT

[powstash]

Originally posted by Idris

I put a sling (guess it would be called webbing in the USA) around the ski...about 3cm wide it sits nicely against the ski, this was attached to the rope using a large screwgate carrabiner.

Yep, same technique I've used.

[sick.bird]

CAW!