On Sunday, November 2, Greg “Grug” Cameron and Dean Brubaker hiked to the West Ridge in Eldorado Canyon State Park for a day of trad climbing. After climbing and descending Xanadu (5.10a), the pair racked up below the popular three-pitch route Chockstone (5.10a). Brubaker led the first pitch and Cameron, a 69-year-old climber with first ascents across North America, led the second. Cameron took a fall early on the pitch, his gear held, and he continued to the anchor.
As he neared the top of the pitch, around 2:18 p.m., he moved over an arete feature, stepping right toward the anchor. Then Cameron fell. When he whipped, his rope grated against the arete and completely severed. Cameron crashed through a 15-foot pine tree, taking an approximately 70-foot ground fall. Broken branches and a couple of feet of rope laid over him with a cut sheath and core fibers exposed.
Karl Manteuffel heard the fall while leading Xanadu, 100 feet away. Manteuffel’s partner yelled at him to place gear and lower. The pair ran over to help with the triage. They called 911 at 2:23 p.m. A party of three other climbers who had been climbing on the closer Purple Haze (5.9) were already helping at the scene, propping Cameron up. As per the 911 officer’s instructions, they began administering CPR to help Cameron’s labored breathing. Within 34 minutes, Search and Rescue personnel arrived to help evacuate Cameron, who was taken to Boulder Community Hospital and then to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Denver Hospital to treat his broken femur, fractured pelvis, and brain bleeds. The community has rallied to support Cameron in his recovery…