Loading...
Date of Incident
18/09/2018
Country
France
Area
Route
Incident
On the descent from the Col de Serradets , I tripped over on a rocky / scree area because I was not paying attention - I was admiring the view! I was tired and did not react quickly enough, falling face-first on some rocks. Huge nose-bleed that lasted for 30 minutes, and suspected broken wrists (from trying to stop the fall).
The route was not difficult, but I knew that I was not fit enough to tackle "big" mountains - on a shorter, low level route the previous day I ended up much more tired than expected. However, the weather was excellent and we wanted to make the best of it.
Lessons
Don't think the fitness will return miraculously when you go on holiday, if you haven't done much exercise in the months beforehand. Because you used to do 3000-metre mountains years ago, doesn't mean you can still do them without training. And if you want to admire the view, stop! (as Wainright said)
Activity
Summer walking
When
Descending
Injury
Serious injury requiring medical treatment
Causes
Slip, trip or fall
Anonymous?
Yes
Reported By
Participant
Wearing Helmets?
Rescue Services Involved?
It was clear that I had broken my wrist (in two places, plus a finger), and the descent involved some un-scrambling wet rocks (the Cascade du Glacier du Taillon). Other people walking in the area agreed that I should not try to continue the descent, and they called Mountain Rescue.
The helicopter of the Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne des Hautes-Pyrenees took me to A&E at Tarbes Hospital, where they x-rayed me, put my arm in plaster, and some stitches in a cut on my lip.
(I also had bruises all over my legs and the other arm.)
Author
3 August 2019 at 18:25:40
For more advice and guidance on good practices visit BMC skills
All reports are self-submitted and have not been edited by the BMC in any way, so please keep an open mind regarding the lessons and causes of each incident or near-miss.