Harsh Footage from Aconcagua

Video and internet comments from a fatal accident bring home the typical quandaries of big mountains, weather, group size and rescue expectations.

This last December-February mountaineering season on Argentina's Aconcagua (22,841 feet) saw more than its usual two or three annual fatalities. As of press time, at least 5 people had died, one each from a combination of rockfall, crevasse fall, and a solo alpinist who disappeared on a tough route. And then there was the instructive - and tragic - mishap involving an Argentine/American guide working for Rainier Mountaineering, and a female Italian client, both of whom died in blizzard conditions near the summit, after an ascent of the normal Canaleta Route.

Aconcagua via the normal route is not technically difficult. Aside from the notorious Canaleta scree gully the final 1,000 feet, the standard route is mostly switchbacked trail. The major hazards are Aconcagua's wicked storms, and a lack of technical barriers that makes it all too easy for people to outclimb their acclimatization pace. It is not unusual for climbers to try summiting Aconcagua on Day Seven from airport arrival.

Apparently, in this case, the blizzard struck just as the guided group as the group was reaching the top. Visibility quickly changed to nonexistent, and on descent the party veered onto upper sections of the Polish Glacier Route, where Elena Senin (38) fell into a crevasse and was killed, apparently by ice that collapsed on top of her. The guide then climbed down into the crevasse and worked strenuously to free her, which led to his collapse from altitude problems. The party was then pinned down by blizzard for two nights at the accident site. Shortly after initial rescuers reached them, the guide, Frederico Campanini (31) an Argentine living in Salt Lake City, died

Last week, video taken by one of the team members surfaced on the internet and Chilean news channels. The video, along with comment-board accounts from eyewitnesses and other guides on the Argentine mountaineering forum foros.tricuspide.com - assembled and translated on the excellent blog Chile from Within - provide us with a tragic timeline that illustrates the cascading series of events typical in big mountain accidents.

Warning: The footage of Campanini attempting to get up while dying is chilling, although far from graphic. The rescuers - basically nearby guides and climbers - are being criticized as ineffective. Some of the invectives hurled at the struggling climber (the scene is in Spanish) are considered harsh. However, berating altitude victims to keep them moving is a common desperation tactic. The climbers are trying to get Campanini upslope to reach the Canaleta Route, since descending the Polish Glacier would have required technical lowering.

Several things become clear from the message board comments of "Rockney" who was guiding a separate group on summit day:
[] The RMI group, mostly Italians, was slow, as are many large guided parties.

[] The group had two guides, but one lagged behind with a slow client who eventually had to be escorted back down, leaving the party with (I believe) five clients and one guide.

[] Rockney's group summited around 4 p.m. and left before the Italian group had all arrived.

[] The storm "unleashed" just after Rockney's group departed the summit. Winds were 50mph and temps -5F. Visibility was "half a meter beyond our feet." The group got briefly off-route but corrected using a gps, and only managed to find the Independencia Refuge (hut) via a waypoint.

[] On descent Rockney's group found all the Italian's backpacks stashed in a sheltered area called The Cave. They summited with no emergency gear.

[] On descent, Campanini's group apparently got off route and descended 1,300 feet down upper portions of the Polish Glacier Route.

[] There, Senin fell into a crevasse and died, and Campanini's own altitude problems began.

[] Beginning on Monday p.m., the group was trapped at high altitude by the continuing blizzard. Rescuers didn't leave until Wednesday morning.

Aconcagua guides and friends of the deceased are criticizing the lack of quick rescue, in part because Aconcagua Provincial Park charges a per-climber fee of $500 to $170, depending on the exact season. Since climbers must bag all trash and waste, and even pay a $100 base camp waste charge (addressing those potential expenses separately) they are wondering why no rescue caches, wheeled litters, or rescue teams are in place. The accident will probably result in improvements to Aconcagua's paltry rescue infrastructure. Guide "Rockney's" account raises questions about some of the Italian party's decisions, but I see this tragedy more as an illustration of quandaries that are always present on big mountain climbs.

To wit:
[] Summit pushes in tight weather windows are inherently risky, especially with slow groups. Unfortunately, that's also a staple of high altitude guiding.

[] Easy routes are only easy if you're on the route.

[] Big slow groups should never leave emergency gear behind. With it, you've got safety in numbers; Without it, you've just got multiple victims.

[] Hope for, but never expect, quick rescue anywhere, especially at high altitudes. If you're in trouble, rescuers are probably struggling too, and many teams won't set out in brutal conditions because it's dangerous and futile. That means you've got to be ready to sit it out.

[] Weak party members always create problems - or a revised itinerary. They are usually the most vulnerable to injury and death as well. Some of this tragedy was foreshadowed early, with the slow climber being escorted back down to high camp, leaving the group with one guide, then none. This is a good case for making summit-team choices before summit day, but that is a very difficult thing with paying clients.

[] The deceased were liked and loved by many friends, so the accident's over, but the pain and loss isn't.

Hike safe. -- Steve Howe

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READERS COMMENTS

Dear Mr. Gabo,
Let me introduce myself. My name is Peter Johansen, from the Peruvian Alpine Club. I�m member of the board and also director of the Search & Rescue committee of the club. I�ve been doing this for the last 34 years, climbed in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina among others.
I red the comment you posted here before, which I definitely I can�t agree and in my personal opinion reflects a lack of knowledge of the South American and maybe other third world country problematic.
I don�t know Facundo in person, but I heard about him in the Latin American rescue community and let me tell you that he is one of the best professionals all around here and also a consultant of many worldwide organizations that I personally belong too. However, I�ve been in Argentina climbing many times in Patagonia and also I have five successful expeditions to Aconcagua on my own. Let me answer some of the items for posted here.
1) If you command a rescue team no matter where you are, it supposed that you are prepared both physically, mentally and technically to save lives. No matter where you are, sometimes you don�t count with all the personnel or equipment or both as you might like, but you�re there to save lives! Yes, I agree with you that commit a mistake can take more lives unnecessary, but as a rescuer you have to take decisions all the time, improvise, move on and succeed. If you have a call out and your team is 100% experienced and proficient but you don�t have a stretcher, you won�t go on the call? Sir, in third world countries we do our best, without payment, without a salary and without all the resources that you guys have in the States or other first world country. That doesn�t made us less that anyone else o being unprofessional. It�s all we have, somebody has to do it and we put our lives in danger in every call out to save lives and return safe at home. Lack of equipment is something that every team face around here and believe, we save lives doing amazing things cos� of that. I invite you to help me or other south american teams to get sponsored or get equipment to enhance our tasks; but you can�t say that simple that we�re not professionals cos� we have a lack of resources. That is a miss respect to us and the hundreds of lives we save every year.
2) Sir, as I see for your comment, you didn�t read carefully the Facundo�s report and also, seems like a recue mission for you is very simple. First, the Italians who were rescued, just 1 were able to walk down (assisted) the mountain; the other two were transported in two stretchers that the rescue team brought up to the top at 21.325ft. in just a couple of hours That saved the Italians lives. Second, if you have a rescue mission with multiple victims, you treat that mission as just one and establish an evacuation priority by performing a �triage� on site. This rescue mission was performed by more that 80 persons in total who were there risking their lives and giving a hand to save others lives, Aconcagua is in the middle of nowhere, how can you get more resources to (as you said�) treat this mission as a multiple mission and send many teams to each victim? Are you kidding me?
3) As I said before. Aconcagua is in the middle of nowhere and brings personnel, equipment, food or whatever is VERY hard. Besides, the local rescue team had the equipment needed, is just that for the info. the got at the time, they thought that 2 stretchers were fine to bring out. Also, do you have an idea apart of the personal rescue equipment, what is to carry a collapsible metal stretcher in you back, plus oxygen tubes and more for 22.000ft? Even in Mt. Rainier a rescue team will dare to do so.
4) You have 2 choices: Leave the victim or try to take him out. What would you do?
Those rescuers did what they could, their best to take him out. Seems like you don�t know the Aconcagua Sir, cos� lowering down a victim in Polacos is practically impossible and if you want to do so, I�ll say that it will be a task and effort compared to climb the entire Aconcagua. Lowering was not possible and the only thing they could do is try to take him out of there as fast as they can by climbing up to the top and turn over in the peak to lower Federico in the main route where the other rescue crew were climbing up with more oxygen and stretchers for Federico.
5) I guess that all those guys who where risking their lives down there in Argentina had time to think about it and learn more as all of us from other countries, but I don�t think that them or Facundo Garcia is justifying what happened. What I wish deeply is that you also learn from this and hope you never have to take the thought deception those guys had to take.

Next time, please sign with your full name and team so we all can know with whom we�re speaking with Gabo.

Posted: Jun 14, 2009 Peter Johansen

Hi Facundo,

Your comment was very precise, however, there are a few missing subjects.

1) if you command or take part as a SAr team you don't perform a rescue without proper equipment. Rescue with lacking equipment means to expose more lifes unnecesarily and with low chances of success.

2) Each person to be rescued is a mission and has nothing to do with any other rescued in the same situation. Meaning the rescue of the 3 italians was succesful, but the mission to rescue federico was failed.
Simply because the italians were capable of walking up. Otherwise the were dead.

3) If the rescue team departed two days after having received the information. Wasn't time enough to get a sled, oxygen and meds? The chopper could have made the trip to Mendoza during those 2 days.

4) The desision to walk up killed Federico, because he was in cerebral edema and pulmonary edema.
Sweating and rising the arteria preassure provoked an increased preassure that cumulated fluids in the brain and lungs.
To wait at the spot could have saved the life, or even lowering im a few meters would have eased the problem. Even if going down to Polacos was a no way path.

5) far from controversy, a well settled SAR team should learn from this instead of justyfing actions. No one seems to have taken the time to learn. Why things went wrong and how can they avoid this to happen againg.

Gabo

Posted: Mar 30, 2009 Gabo

-INCIDENT REPORT-
Mt. Aconcagua incident

TYPE OF MISION: Search & Rescue / Search & Recovery.
LOCATION: Mt. Aconcagua / Mendoza Province / Republic of Argentina.
ROUTE: Approach from Normal route (North Face) and from the main peak, down to the Polish Glacier route (South-West Face)
ALTITUD OF OPERATION: 6500mts. (21.325ft.)
RESPONDERS: UPRAM (Mendoza Police Mountain Rescue Team) / Civilian climbers on scene (Volunteers).
VICTIMS INVOLVED: 6
CASUALTIES: 2

-1-

SUMARY:
Wednesday, January 14th. 2009. After the conquer of the highest mountain in the American continent, the Mt. Aconcagua, an Italian climbing team leaded by an Argentinean mountain guide (UIAAGM-IMFGA) named Federico Campanini (31), were trapped into a big storm right on the top of the mountain at 22,841ft. at 4:30pm.

With below cero temperatures -24�C (-14�F aprox.) and the sun coming down, the team had to descent as soon as possible to camp Berlin at 19.127ft. During the way down and with a snow tempest on their backs, the guide missed the track of the Normal Route, and leaded the team to the Polish Glacier route. During this attempt to descend in a wrong and more difficult route, an Italian member of the team named Elena Selin (38) fell down a slope angle and rolled down the mountain aprox. 984ft. dyeing later by diverse wounds that immobilized her, entering in shock and later dyeing by hypothermia. (Coroner�s report)

Due the situation, the rescue team received the emergency call out from the mountain guide in distress but due the terrible storm happening, the rescue command advised to deploy the rescue team as soon the storm calm down. Meanwhile, a 14 men team was moved from Camp 1 to Camp 2 to stay ready to attack the peak when there was a chance.

The Italian team survived the night by staying together to keep the warmth, eating a few raisins, chocolates and mixing urine with ice to drink. The guide Campanini, in a heroic act, gave his gloves, jacket and half of his meal to the Italians. This accelerated the hypothermia process to his body.

Next day (12 hours later) the storm continued and the rescuers decided to move up at no cost arriving to the scene after climb 4921ft. aprox. from camp 2 (Condor�s Nest) in the middle of the storm to the top of the mountain to then turn down to the Polish route in the search of the victims.

During this time, a rescue helicopter operated by Horacio Frechi fled over the top of the mountain near the Polish Route trying to locate the victims, finding one climber alive who was making signs of their location. This helicopter fell in free fall almost 980ft. due the storm and lack of visibility and hopefully the pilot controlled the machine and returned safe to Camp 1 after report the location of the victims.

After being 24 hours in the mountain, the victims were located by the rescue team who encountered and evacuated the Italian climbers Matteo Refrigeratto, Mirko Afasio and Marina Atanasio who were all in very bad physical condition such as mountain sickness and severe hypothermia. The victims could climb up to the top again to then were packed into 2 stretchers and slide down the normal route to Camp1 when they were evacuated to an hospital in Mendoza DC by helicopter.

The rescue team made a subhuman effort by staying almost 12 hours at 21.325ft. at -22�F to perform this mission saving the life of the 3 Italian climbers and leaving behind the body of the dead climber Elena Selin who wasn�t located until 12 days after by a private rescue team formed by local mountain guides who were hired by the Selin family.

Meanwhile, the life of the mountain guide who was suffering deep brain edema and hypothermia was located and the rest of the rescue team (6 men) remained with him trying to take him out for around 4/5 hours. They made all possible to remain with Campanini and evacuate him, but the time was running and there was no more time and was too late to keep the team at that height while 2 members of the rescue team were experimenting health problems as well.

The lives of the rescuers were in clear danger taking in account that they spent almost 24hs. at -22�F and they climbed in 2 days and a half to the top and stayed there. A thing that most climbers do in 8 days.

-2-

Tired, exhausted and with no supplies, the rescue team cannot wait for backups cos� there wasn�t. They were by their own and the tried to move up 1000 ft. the body of Campanini alive to reach the top again and try to descent him from the normal route were a team of civilian climbers were climbing up to help at the same time.

Without supplies to stay another night, a proper stretcher and oxygen bottles, they were in a clear danger and asking for permission to the rescue command first, they decided to leave Campanini where they were at 884ft. down the peak in order to evacuate their selves. Campanini was alive but hardly could make it out with his brain edema and sever hypothermia case.

FACTS:
1- Mt. Aconcagua has insufficient resources to perform a SAR mission successfully in some situations like this. The rescue teams that operate above 17.000ft. precise to have in both Camp1 and Camp2 supplies stored in deposits in order to attack the peak fast and light and re-supply in this high altitude missions.

2-All rescue teams in Mt. Aconcagua are fiscally fit, trained and are very experienced, but no one has an MD or EMT member in the team. Team members has strong PHTLS training, but a lack of elements such as collapsible/lightweight SKED/Sled stretcher (SKEDCO type) and lightweight oxygen tubes to carry at that heights.

3-The rescue teams did not carried basic personal survival equipment, snow shovels, sleeping bags, oxygen bottles, stoves, etc. in order to go lite and reach the victims ASAP.

4- Poor evaluation of the rescue mission. Good rescue strategy but bad evaluation of the logistic capabilities.

CONCLUSIONS:
Typically found in many 3rd. world countries. Financial problems are also found today in the Argentinean rescue teams. Even with the lack of resources named before, the rescue teams at Mt. Aconcagua evacuated successfully a rate of 3 persons a day and in this season evacuated 240 climbers from the 3.844 climbers that were this season in the mountain. From 1926 to 2009, 126 climbers died trying to reach the top of Mt. Aconcagua, this season were actually 4 casualties in total.

The controversy around the video recorded in the last minutes of guide Campanini doesn�t reflect the real effort that those rescuers made for almost 24hs. Actually, after that heroic mission, 2 rescue members suffered lung edema and severe hypothermia en their hands.

A common question around the rescue community is why they pulled up the body of Campanini instead of made a rope-stretcher or utilize another lifting technique. For those who don�t understand, I must say that in those conditions, lift an stretcher by hand is almost impossible if you don�t have al least a 12 men team to lift in turns half of the team a couple of meters and then the rest of the team a couple of meters more and doing this to reach the top.

Due the slope angle and rocks, make a backpack stretcher to sled the body were impossible. The rescuers stayed 3 hours to lift with a rope the body of Campanini only 329ft. That can provide and overlook of the difficult terrain and body condition of the rescuers.

The right technique would be to pack the victim in an SKED stretcher, climb up 180ft. per lapse, and mount a �Z� rig or another hauling system to accelerate the lifting process to reach the top.
Today, rescue teams in South America are cutting in half climber plastic containers (those big blue colored ones used in expeds.) to use them to improvise and sled. But at those heights, carry that on the outside of the backpack or even sliding it over the ice will take down any climber/rescuer at high winds. Besides, take your gloves out to build some system like this with -29�F will chill and freeze your hands for sure.
If the team has a lack of technical rescue stretchers at least they would have to carry a bottle of oxygen, sleeping bags and snow shovel in order to extend the life of Campanini till the backups arrived.

Is absolutely understandable that at those heights, all rescue personnel needs to go light, but this is an example on how the basic personal survival equipment must be carried ALWAYS.
At that height, ask to the victim to walk by their own is impossible. The cold freeze your body, num your legs and the lack of oxygen make you dizzy and you lost the thinking capabilities.
In the video, you will note that the rescuers insult verbally Campanini. This is cos� commonly at that altitude where there�s a lack of oxygen and you�re mentally incapacitated; your brain is hard to think and focused in a specific action. In general persons with acute mountain sickness tend to get angry sometimes, pull down the jacket�s hood and stay quiet remaining in on a place. The insults tried to break the apathy and sometimes rescuers need to shake up the victim�s body to make him release adrenaline and take him out of there.

In conclusion, the rescue team made the best they could and more. Their lack of recourses are not their fault, are the fault of those in the government who supposed to equip the law enforcement teams like this case.
This rescue team saved the life of the 3 other members of the Italian team. I don�t think their failed on the mission at all. They did all what they have on their hands to save Campanini also. Those rescuers took a hard decision that no rescuer wants to take, but also, they were �walking on thin ice� for hours. No rescue team needs to loose their men to save others life for an unnecessary reason. Is cold, tough to say, but here was the life of Campanini or the life of other 6 rescuers in play. The team leader took the right decision for sure.

For those who read this, sorry for my English. I tried to do my best to inform you about this controversy and gave you an example of a situation like this.

Inst. Facundo Garcia
Captain/Directive Committee
GOER � Argentina

Posted: Mar 10, 2009 Ryan Decks

Tragedy in the 2008/2009 climbing season on Aconcagua- (http://purebound.com/aconcagua/). A journal of a group summiting Aconcagua on January 9, 2009.
Posted: Mar 06, 2009 Anonymous