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apparently the rappel anchor at the waterfall failed

http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2014/ ... ors-fails/

https://www.youtube.com/embed/zJHEnrHsrKo

Yep the article in the Payson Roundup said more details on Friday

@Outdoor Lover
Sliding X with overhands on both sides?

what's going on here? Every time I hike with Mtnbart01, he can't shutup about helicopter stuff-- but here's the appropriate time for his expertise and everyone BUT him is mouthin' off

@Tough_Boots He's back at work being useful ;)

@bknorby
No, 2 Point with all 4 Strands in a Modified Frost....

Wonder who will be the first HAZ'er to evaluate and document (photograph) the current condition of anchors at the Jug. Who knows at this point...It may have been a rope fail. (eg. running rope through anchor without a carabiner, using a carabiner not made for climbing/rappelling, not properly clipping a carabiner. Those anchors have always looked pretty solid.

@Tough_Boots
I finally found a link to the video and find it amusing to read people's comments on the rescue. The Bell 407 it appears they were using has more than ample excess power to perform out of ground effect hover for this operation without wind. The gusty wind conditions reported might increase the difficulty of hovering in place, but would decrease the chances of any vortex ringstate more commonly known as settling with power blah, blah, blah. It's pretty routine long line scenario and the pilot would not have attempted it if the conditions were outside the performance standards of the aircraft or his personal safety minimums blah, blah, blah. I would be impressed if this scenario were performed with a bell 206 L model. I'm glad it was successful.

I know him.. He will recover fully.. He did suffer a skull fracture but no other broken bones... He is alert and doing well... It wasn't the anchor that failed

@Bmoney
Good news! Glad to hear he is going to be okay. Perhaps he will be able to share what went wrong in order to help keep others from making the same mistake. We all take certain risks when engaging in these types of activities. We do it, because we'd rather be on the side of a rock living, instead of sitting on a sofa dying. Any information about want went wrong could provide a helpful lesson that might keep others alive.

today's story in the payson roundup
nothing new on the cause of the fall
http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2014/ ... ng-rescue/

...a 50-foot-tall waterfall...

...But rescuers would have to carry Jordan 600 feet through four pools. Between each pool, they would have to lower him down a 20-foot drop.

The more I hear about this story, the less it sounds like the Jug. Do the exaggerations make the story a better read?

@Rick Vincent
a lot of inaccuracies in the news stories
the initial video from azcentral, too
makes you wonder if they do any research at all

@trekkin gecko

Its the news come on! you don't need research and facts..just anonymous sources and cool headlines ;)

@friendofThundergod
a lot of focus on the rescue
which was indeed cool

@Bmoney
That is very good news!!! I also echo Rick Vincent's statement...If there is anyone that can tell us what really happened, it would be very helpful in educating the rest of us...Just so we can guard against it, regardless of whether it was a mistake or a fluke...No one is going to judge because of the Mistake if that's what it was, only learn. And thank you for coming on and letting us know his status...It's a relief to hear he's doing so well and we wish him a speedy recovery....

Rick Vincent wrote:...But rescuers would have to carry Jordan 600 feet through four pools. Between each pool, they would have to lower him down a 20-foot drop.

Which Media did you read that one in??? I haven't seen that twist yet... ;)

I'd bet a nickel the fall has to do with the traverse out to the anchor, with the confirmation from bmoney it wasn't the actual cnchor that failed.

Outdoor Lover wrote:regardless of whether it was a mistake or a fluke...No one is going to judge

That's what sets HAZ apart from a lot of other websites

@nonot
I doubt if he even did the Traverse...Everyone was using the Anchor Set right at the Waterfall itself when we were there, there was no need to traverse over to the other original Set....

@Outdoor Lover
There are several reasons to use the other anchor - it's a better pull, it speeds up the number of people, and if you're going to jump, it's your only option. I never use the anchor at the head of the waterfall, seen way too many people have problems.

Rick Vincent wrote:...a 50-foot-tall waterfall...

...But rescuers would have to carry Jordan 600 feet through four pools. Between each pool, they would have to lower him down a 20-foot drop.

The more I hear about this story, the less it sounds like the Jug. Do the exaggerations make the story a better read?

This is all nonsense, after the 30-35 ft waterfall there is a bunch of swimming, and some rocks, but nothing difficult like is described. Granted, I wouldn't want to have to carry someone out from there, but a floating gurney and a couple of strong men could do it. I don't know whether those folks are equipped with floating backboards. Plus, even if they did all that, they'd still have to fly him out anyway, or else carry him the 1-2 miles uphill back to the road. If the weather was suitable to lifting him where they did, it's the best choice, which is why I imagine they did it. Was cool to see the pilot keeping that bird stable while fighting the gusts.

Remember, truth never gets in the way of good journalism