21-year-old rock climber from Virginia falls while climbing at Smith Rock without rope

[mahatmakanejeeves]

21-year-old rock climber from Virginia falls while climbing at Smith Rock without rope
38 min ago

TERREBONNE, Ore. (AP) — A 21-year-old rock climber from Virginia fell 150 feet while climbing at Smith Rock State Park without using a rope or other safety equipment.

Benjamin Schulman was taken by helicopter to St. Charles Hospital in Bend with life-threatening injuries after the fall late Sunday afternoon. ... Authorities say Schulman, of Alexandria, Virginia, was attempting to climb a section not usually used or identified as a climbing route when he fell. ... He then rolled another 100 feet down a steep hillside.

It's unclear if Schulman was an experienced climber, but he was camping with other climbers familiar with the park.

It took rescuers two hours to get him out of the park because of his remote location and the extent of his injuries.

[Laffy Kat]

1. I guess that's a thing now.

IMO, you'd have to have something of a death wish or be an adrenaline junkie.

[3Hotdogs]

2. and taxpayers gotta pay for his ego trip.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Another link: Lewis & Clark sophomore survives 150-foot fall at Smith Rock

PACIFIC NORTHWEST NEWS

Lewis & Clark sophomore survives 150-foot fall at Smith Rock

Updated 2:45 PM; Posted 11:25 AM

A Lewis & Clark College sophomore survived a 150-foot fall during a "free solo" climb Sunday at Smith Rock State Park, according to authorities and the man's family. ... Benjamin Schulman, 21, was using no safety ropes or equipment as he scaled a rock face not typically known as a climbing route in the southern section of the park, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office told The Oregonian/OregonLive. ... About 4 p.m. he fell, the sheriff's office said.

After Schulman's 150-foot plunge from the rock face he rolled another 100 feet down a steep hill before coming to rest mid-slope, authorities said. ... It took emergency personnel more than two hours to remove the young man from the hillside, given the rugged terrain and his injuries, the sheriff's office said. ... Schulman, who grew up in the Washington, D.C., area, was then flown by helicopter to St. Charles Hospital in Bend with life-threatening injuries, the sheriff's office said.
....

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh
[e-mail]
503-294-7632 II @shanedkavanaugh