Archive for the ‘Ice climber’ Category

Ice climber who died at Doughton Park was a veteran climber

Saturday, March 6th, 2010
As reported yesterday, an ice climber was found dead on Thursday at Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Wilkes Journal Patriot today identified the climber as Ralph Edward Fickel of Boone, North Carolina.

Fickel, a veteran rock climber, was found Thursday about 200 feet below the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Ice Rocks, a popular site for ice climbing about a half mile south of the Bluffs Restaurant at Doughton Park near Laurel Springs.

Fickel worked as a climbing guide for Rock Dimensions, a Boone-based company that provides guided climbing trips.

According to the Rock Dimensions website, Fickel had been climbing mountains for over 30 years. He was responsible for over 70 first ascents on rock and ice in North Carolina, New Hampshire and Maine and had climbed various routes in the High Sierras, the Grand Tetons, desert Southwest, and two recent 6,000+ meter peaks in the Nepal Himalayas.

He had worked in mountain rescue for the Appalachian Mountain Club and the National Park Service, where he has served as a park ranger in North Carolina. He was also employed at one point as an instructor for the North Carolina Outward Bound School.

Fickel completed the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) Toprope Site Manager Course in December 2005. In May 2008 he earned certification as a single pitch instructor with the Professional Climbing Instructors Association. He also had a master's degree in geography from Appalachian State University.

You can read more from the article by clicking here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

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Ice climber dies at Doughton Park on Blue Ridge Parkway

Friday, March 5th, 2010
Authorities yesterday recovered the body of a man who had been ice climbing beside the Blue Ridge Parkway in Alleghany County.

The man's identity wasn't released. His body was recovered by members of the Alle­ghany County Rescue Squad, who rappelled down the steep slope below the parkway at Ice Rock in Doughton Park.

Maintenance workers reported seeing the climber on Ice Rock on Wednesday afternoon.

The workers saw the climber's vehicle again yesterday morning and assumed that he had returned to climb again. They then spotted his body.

The area, near Milepost 242, is a popular spot for ice climbers. The rock face is steep and includes some sheer drops. Thick layers of ice drape the slopes above and below the road, but climbing is allowed only when that part of the parkway is closed to traffic because of snow and ice, as it has been recently.

The spot is about five miles north of N.C. 18, just south of the Virginia border. Climbers can park at an overlook and walk about a half-mile along the road to a 200-yard-long curve.

Typically, ice climbers wear crampons on their feet, with spikes that grip the ice. They use an ice ax, which has a sharp pick that they drive into the ice and provides a way to pull themselves up. They often work in roped pairs, with a climbing partner. It appears this climber did not have a partner.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Posted in Doughton Park, Ice Rock, Ice climber, blue ridge parkway | Comments Off