Near fall on rappel in Heaps

Near fall on rappel in Heaps
Date	2016/05/22
Location	Heaps Canyon
Severity	No loss
Canyoneering-related	Yes
SAR involvement	Yes
Navigation problem	No
Swift water problem
Environmental problem	No
Communication problem	No
Planning problem	Yes
Skills problem	Yes
Body movement problem	No
Rigging problem	No
Rappel problem	Yes
Insufficient gear	Yes
Gear failure	No

Summary

A series of mistakes ends in an exhausted Canyoneer flipping upside down on rappel trying to drop his pack and becoming ensnared with his piranha and his jacket.

Accounts

We ran Heaps this past Sunday and came across a group of three who had stayed overnight in an unplanned bivy in the beginning of the canyon. They sought our help as they had been expected out the day before and had a friend arranged to pass up their 300 rope to them. They said they had some additional gear 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 offered to leave it for them if their friend and rope weren't waiting. We continued and reached the top and began to exit the last sequence. As we were finishing the group came upon us. Their rope was indeed waiting, as was a member of Search and Rescue. Our group descended cleanly and readied to leave as a member of their group began to call out. He was struggling just below the bird ledge and wearing a pack that was pulling him backwards. He called out he needed to drop his pack, and then he immediately flipped upside down. A member of our group ran over to give him a 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 piranha. 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 S&R officer approached so we left. Who goes into Heaps with only a 200 rope and pull cord? Hoping for a waiting 300? As a community we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard or we'll start to see these beautiful canyons develop restricted access.