ALTA, Utah — Dozens of climbers gathered at Alta on Saturday for the 13th Annual Climbing Festival hosted by the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance.
“That’s the reason we have this kind of festival to increase your skill set, your technical knowledge,” said Julia Geisler, executive director with the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance. "We all want to go home to our families at the end of the day.”
Damian Benegas with Wasatch Mountain Guides has been climbing for 40 years and feels the mountains are his happy place, but he also knows the reality of Mother Nature.
“Gravity, we cannot fight it; we have to control it,” he said.
Unfortunately, there are times Mother Nature wins. Just days prior to the festival, a 16-year-old boy fell over 100 feet to his death while hiking Devil’s Castle.
“It’s sad, it’s a 16-year-old kid… I’m sorry,” Benegas said while getting choked up. “Every time you lose someone, it's a big impact. So I think the most important thing is to use this as a learning process to create awareness.”
It’s a painful reminder no one in the close-knit climbing community wants to hear, with many having children of their own.
“I have a 17-year-old,” said Ryan Clerico with Salt Lake County Search & Rescue. "Don't let one decision turn into three, four, five bad decisions, and the fifth one being a catastrophic decision. If you realize you're in trouble, stop. Take a deep breath. Think about how you can get yourself out. If you can't get yourself out, call for help.”
Many guides feel these tragedies serve as a wake-up call, to create solutions and teach critical skills through festivals like this one.
“It ought to be eye-opening for all of us. How can we instead of saying, 'Oh, they did it wrong' ... say, 'Let me look at where I'm operating. Are there things that I can relate to?'” said Shaun Deutschlander with Inspired Summit Adventures.
They want to do this to prevent losing another member in their community.
“We have kids who are super strong, they run up and down, they’re mountain goats, but it's a detachment from skills,” Benegas said.
Search and rescue officials also recommend taking more water than needed, letting someone know where you parked and what time you will be back before heading out on a hike.
