Date of Event: 5/22/2016
Canyon involved: Heaps
Region: Zion National Park, Utah
Country: United States
Submitted by: Dan Halim
Source: www.ropewiki.com, eyewitness self-report
Injury: None (near miss)
Cause: Inexperience, Inadequate equipment, Hypothermia, Exhaustion, Rappel error

Description of Event: We ran Heaps this past Sunday and came across a group of three who had stayed overnight in an unplanned bivy near the head of the canyon. They sought our help as they had been expected to exit the canyon the day before. They had arranged for a friend to wait at the bottom of the final rappel, in order to pass a 300’ rope up to them. They’d had issues with leaky wetsuits and drysuits in the cold water necessitating a prolonged stay in the canyon and they were worried that they would not have a rope to exit. They were carrying a 200’ rope and a 300’ pull cord. A member of our group who had stashed his 300 foot rope offered to leave it for them if their friend and rope weren’t waiting. We continued and reached the final rappel sequence. Our group descended and readied to leave as a member of their group began to call out from above. He was struggling just below the bird perch and wearing a pack that was tipping him back. He called out that he needed to drop his pack, and then he flipped upside down. A member of our group ran over to give him a bottom belay as we communicated suggestions. He was able to remove and hang his pack, and was struggling to untangle his jacket which had become ensnared in his rappel device (a Pirana). My friend who was giving him a belay had him completely stopped and once he was free she suggested he could begin rappelling, but he said he was too exhausted. So she lowered him 200 feet to the deck. The SAR officer approached so we left.

Analysis:
• Preparation is critical to a safe descent. Carrying enough rope to complete the canyon is an absolute must, with backup rope strongly advised.
• Thermal protection—especially drysuits—and other critical gear must be thoroughly inspected and/or tested pre-trip.
• Wearing a pack on the back in a free-hang can cause you to flip over. There are various ways to mitigate this, depending on the situation.
• Canyoneers should be capable of ascending enough to free a stuck descent control device.