A rappel device and human error most likely led to a fatal fall last week, killing local climbing guide Rick Karden and stranding two clients on a ledge for hours.
Krystal 93 reviewed the incident report from Brian Metzger, one of two Summit County Sheriff’s officials at Officers Gulch on July 29. It is based on eyewitness statements from the clients and evidence found on scene.
Karden and his two clients were climbing a bolted route known as “Hasta La Vista Amichi.” This relatively easy climb is rated 5.7, according to Mountain Project, described as “a chill, straightforward route with long pitches on mostly high-quality stone.”
Karden, a longtime Summit High School teacher and guidebook author, was leading the group for local outfitter Rocky Mountain Guides. The group had successfully reached the top of the route and were descending when Karden’s two clients ended up on a ledge below him. This was the lowest ledge on the face.
“Once (the clients) were anchored in, they spoke to Rick on the phone and advised they had untied their ropes and were ‘off belay,’” Metzger’s report reads.
“Off belay” is climber lingo, referring to the moment a climber leaves the device made to halt a fall. In this case Karden was using specialty equipment, known as a Grigri device, to safely lower his clients (belay) and then descend (rappel) behind them. He was the only one in the group with a belay or rappel device.
“Rick took up the ropes and started to rappel down,” the report continues. “(The clients) could not see Rick because there was an overhang that blocked their view. Right around the overhang (a client) heard some metal clanking, and then (a client) saw what she thought was a backpack falling. She realized it was not just a backpack but Rick and watched him tumble all the way down until he hit the ground.”
When deputy Metzger arrived, he found Karden’s body on boulders below the climbing route. The deputy estimated the guide had fallen about 100 feet. On the ledge above were both clients, safely secured to a bolt in the rock.
Rescuers briefly attempted CPR on Karden, who was pronounced dead on scene soon after. It would be several hours before rescuers ascended the route and lowered both clients to safety.
“As Rick was coming down, a rope was piling up at (a client’s) feet,” the report reads. “(The client) heard a clattering noise and observed Rick tumbling down the rock face. (The client) tried to grab a rope attached to Rick but he was unable to slow him down.”
As Summit County Rescue Group was helping the stranded climbers, Metzger continued his investigation and met Peter Krainz, the owner of Rocky Mountain Guides. Krainz had rushed to the route when he heard about the fall and helped piece together what most likely happened.
According to Metzger and Krainz, Karden had two ropes attached to his harness. Both were 200 feet long – roughly the distance between ledges. Karden used one rope to lower the first client and the other to lower the second client. When his clients removed the ropes, they did not tie safety knots in the ends. Neither did Karden, and the guide proceeded to rappel on one rope, doubling it over to loop through an anchor.
This essentially cut the rope in half, from 200 feet to 100 feet long. When Karden reached the end, the rope with no safety knot slipped from his rappel device and he followed, tumbling to his death. The second rope – the one piling up at the client’s feet – was not secured to a belay device. Even if the client had managed to grab it, this rope would not have stopped Karden’s freefall.
No one, including the clients, saw exactly what happened in the seconds before Karden fell. When suspended hundreds of feet above the ground by ropes, knots and bolts, a “chill” route rating means little. The climbers were alone on the wall, and neither client could see their guide because of the overhanging rock. Even Krainz, an Austrian mountain guide with 30-plus years guiding in Summit, can only guess after seeing the clues.
Karden is fondly remembered by family, friends and coworkers. In a statement Summit School District says, “Karden was more than a colleague. He was a friend, a mentor, and a champion for students. He will be deeply missed.”