Date of Event: 7/5/2014
Canyon involved: Shaver Cut (Upper Stevenson Creek)
Region: Sierra National Forest, California
Country: United States
Submitted by: Sarah Perlotto
Source: Facebook
Injuries: Fatality
Cause: Rappel error, anchor failure
Description of Event: Luis Ortiz was descending Shaver Cut with two other canyoneers. He was on Rappel 2, which has a deviation to help avoid a waterfall. There were multiple options for the deviation anchor: a biner, rapide, and an old rusty hook. Luis clipped into the rusty hook for the deviation but slipped. The force of his fall caused the hook to fail and he “pendulumed into the waterfall and got stuck, wedged between rocks.” His partners tried unsuccessfully to assist him, and he drowned.
Analysis: This accident involved a complex rappel with a deviation intended to avoid a known entrapment / drowning hazard. Multiple options existed for the deviation anchor, all of which were poorly placed and one of which was of inadequate strength.
Before rappelling into a known hazard, everyone in the group needs to fully understand the nature of the hazard, and how to mitigate it. The group should also discuss possible alternatives: a different rappel route, guided rappel, and retreat. Rigging for possible rescue can be a good idea in many situations, but the anchor geometry and small group size in this case might have made self-rescue impossible.
View from the redirect, 20 Aug 2016: Flows recorded at around 4 cfs