A rock climber died on North Vancouver’s Crown Mountain Wednesday, after falling to his death.
A pair of climbers were attempting the Widowmaker Arete cliff when the lead climber took a fall, North Shore Rescue said in a statement. Four pieces of protection equipment pulled out of the rock face, causing him to fall about 75 metres below his belayer.
NSR crews responding to call for subjects in distress on Crown Mountain. At least 1 subject currently stranded on... https://t.co/1Att1mDdxH
— North Shore Rescue (@NSRescue) September 27, 2017
Team leader Mike Danks says rescuers were deployed at about 2:30 p.m., when they discovered one man stranded on a small ledge over a gully while another man was unresponsive dozens of meters below.
Danks says an aircraft equipped with a longline was sent to rescue the one man from the cliff who explained that his friend was climbing about 12 meters above him when he fell.
They had used rock protections but they failed, and Danks says the surviving man suffered significant rope burns to his hands while trying to catch his friend’s fall.
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Rescue crews were able to use a long-line to extract the other climber, who was pronounced dead at the scene by the B.C. Coroners Service.
Danks says the pair appeared to be experienced in climbing but tragic accidents can happen and rescuers are sharing their condolences with the victim’s family and friends.
“Calls like these are always challenging for all involved,” North Shore Rescue said. “NSR would like to extend our condolences to the deceased’s family and friends.”
@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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