BREAKING: Several tourists stranded on Table Mountain

The name of the local climbing guide has been released: https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/...ng-community-mourns-one-of-their-own-20180103

An avalanche of poignant messages expressing shock and sadness over the unexpected death of experienced mountain climber and sailor, Ian Slatem, have flooded social media.

A highly experienced geologist by profession, adventurous 61-year-old Slatem was officially credited as a mountaineering guide in October 2016 - something he described on his LinkedIn page as his "new re-invention".

The various mountains he had climbed and which he guided like-minded enthusiasts up, was described as his "office in the clouds".
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Mountain guide and editor of SA Mountain magazine, Tony Lourens, told News24 that he met Slatem through climbing in the late 1980s. They became friends.

Lourens described his friend as a "lovely guy", who was gentle, soft-spoken and always smiling.

He said Slatem had been a climber since the 1970s, and he had one major near-death accident in South America, where he fell through a hole and broke both legs.
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His personal website, with route descriptions and photos: http://www.climbtablemountain.com/about-us/

Edit: Lecture/talk on Alpine climbing in Peru given to the MCSA: http://www.climbing.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14343

Poignant quote:
This is a story of acclimatisation, of people and places, climbing successes and failures., and what can happen to a rock climber on ice….

Climbing through ice falls, crossing crevasses, climbing up flutes and under serac’s, rescues, helicopters and hospitals and why you pay tax
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https://www.facebook.com/jeff.aylif...9n-f7_jWvxOB4TNIFuhRaT20E&fref=nf&pnref=story

After ongoing speculation (in many cases incorrect) regarding the recent accident on Arrow final, resulting in the deaths of popular Cape Town guide Ian Slatem and a lady climber, and the standard investigation process which is under way, very little has been said in public forums.

As a climber and outdoor 'mainstream media' person, Id like to just provide the basic details out of respect to Ian and his 'guiding family'.

For starters, Ian was a legally registered guide, had his own guiding company, but also worked with Venture Forth, and came highly recommended by Walther Meyer and Venture Forth, who are not only one of the oldest and most established in the country, but leaders in the training area.

Ian was leading 2 people up Arrow final, and he had 3 good, solid pieces of gear (protection) in place 4 meters apart, when the the incident occurred.

A large block (piece of rock) was dislodged, but its not possible to know exactly how. It was most likely a block that had been naturally weathered under-surface, and could have been pulled on by Ian, or a block that he stood on. (Or possibly one that detached above him.) Its impossible to know. The block caused Ian to fall, and a split second later, the block struck his belayer below, killing her instantly. With no belayer, Ian suffered a long fall and was killed. The 3rd climber was out of the line of the falling rock, and protected in a good 'stance' (position), and was fine.

In closing, Ian did EVERYTHING by the book. All systems were solid. The deaths were the result of a piece of fate that sadly are part of these sports, incidents that are unavoidable, unseen and just random life events.
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Are climbers not required to wear helmets ?
 
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daveza said:
Are climbers not required to wear helmets ?
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Climbing is a voluntary activity, no one is "required" to wear a helmet. Climbers wear helmets to stop them from being harmed by *small* rocks falling from above.

Given that this rock instantly killed the belayer; I think it is safe to say she would have died with or without a helmet.
 
scudsucker said:
Climbing is a voluntary activity, no one is "required" to wear a helmet. Climbers wear helmets to stop them from being harmed by *small* rocks falling from above.

Given that this rock instantly killed the belayer; I think it is safe to say she would have died with or without a helmet.
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It doesn't take that large a rock to kill you I would imagine, if it falls with enough velocity. One would surely have a fighting chance with a helmet, depending of course what part of the body is struck.
 
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