Immediately following the recent fatal accident at Kaymoor, the New River Alliance of Climbers met to discuss ways to better prepare for future climbing accidents in the Gorge. Although no amount of preparation could have changed the outcome of this particular accident, NRAC recognized the importance of working with the National Park Service, local guide services and local climbers to better prepare for future incidents.

NRAC will hold a meeting on Monday, August 2, 2010, 7 PM, at Cathedral Cafe (Fayetteville) to discuss the various aspects of the New River Gorge Search and Rescue (NRG SAR) team, including (point people in italics):

1. Put together a list of first responders to help assist in rescue operations.
   All interested parties, especially local guide services and resident climbers.
2. Get info from the NPS on their existing protocols and procedure so we as climbers can better assist them.
   Randy Fisher, Jim Taylor, Seth Hawkins.
3. Provide advanced first aid training and high angle rescue training for climber first responders.
   Seth Hawkins, Bryan & Deb Simon from App Wilderness Med Institute, Jim Taylor.
4. Assemble a rescue cache on both the north and south side of the gorge respectively.
   Kenny Parker.
5. Develop a map of the gorge with all points of access for lowering, raises, cliff access points that will help emergency services quickly locate.
   Elaina Smith, Mike Williams, Jim Taylor.

Cathedral Cafe Cafe is located at 134 South Court Street - Fayetteville, WV 25840 - 304-574-0202.

On July 3rd, a group of about 20 dedicated volunteers put up a new sign/kiosk at the Bubba City trail head and fenced off a section of Foxwood Cemetary.

Kiosk at Bubba City

The trailhead kiosk is across from the first parking area at Bubba City and is easily visible from the road. It will contain a trail map, information about the New River Alliance of Climbers and any important notices concerning access to the area.

Access to Bubba City has changed significantly over the past two years, as a new housing development, Wild Rock, has started in the area. Wild Rock has generously allowed climbers access to Bubba City through their property. We ask that climbers respect this private property, staying on the trail and keeping noise to a minimum, so that we can continue to enjoy this positive relationship with the land owners.

Cemetary Fencing

Volunteers also built a split-rail fence at the Foxwood Cemetary, another major access point to the Bubba City climbing. This is an active cemetary and occasionally climbers have parked too close to grave sites, angering some local residents. The fence will server to better demarcate the parking area and protect the privacy of the cemetary area and its visitors.

Awesome Volunteers

A special thanks to all volunteers! We had an incredible turn out and managed to get the project finished in time for a half-day of climbing.

Keep in mind the Junkyard riser project will is planned for August - keep posted for exact dates!

More photos on facebook

Last Saturday, June 12th, there was a fatal climbing accident at Kaymoor. Karen Feher, 33, of Richmond, Virginia, was preparing to rappel from the top of Rico Suave when she fell 70-80 feet. She was pronounced dead shortly after at Plateau Medical Center.

The New River Alliance of Climbers would like to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mrs. Feher.

The National Park Service, with assistance of local climbers, has produced an official accident report that details the cause of the accident. It is important that climbers read the accident report, because it contains some important information about the potential misuse of Petzl Strings, which were involved in the accident.

The official accident report can be downloaded here.

As the local climbing organization in the New River Gorge, NRAC plans to work with NPS to establish one or more of the following:

• A YOSAR-like (Yosemite Search and Rescue) group of medically trained climbers to assist in rescue operations.
• Easy-to-access rescue equipment strategically place throughout the climbing region.
• A rescue map that shows the quickest access/haul points.

Although these actions would not have affected the outcome of this particular accident, it has reminded us of the importance of climbers' role in assisting with rescues. Climbers have the best knowledge of the climbing areas and are an invaluable resource in the event of an accident.

Karen Feher Obituary

Facebook Memorial Page

Hello NRG climbers!

We’ve got a little project brewing for which we could use all the help we can get. On Saturday, July 3 we plan to erect a split-rail fence at the Sandstonia parking area to keep people from parking on the cemetery grounds. There are one or two smaller projects scheduled for that day, also, including placing an info kiosk at the Bubba City (Beer Wall) trail head. This kiosk will keep people updated on the ever-evolving parking and approaching situation at Bubba. Particulars below:

When: Saturday, July 3, 2010 at 9 AM

Where: The parking area for Sandstonia in front of the cemetery on Ames Heights Rd. From Fayetteville, cross the Bridge, and then take your second left onto Ames Heights Rd. Follow for about 1.5 miles to the parking area on the left, next to the cemetery, where power lines cross the road.

What to bring: Your own water and lunch, plus typical outdoor stuff, like sunscreen and a raincoat.

We hope to see you there!

PS: Save the date! On Saturday, August 7, 2010, we have another trail day scheduled, this time to finally add stairs to the slightly precarious Junkyard-Wall trail. We’ll have more details on that in a month or so.

For additional info, call Water Stone Outdoors: 304-574-2425.