Accident Summary
A canyoneer descending the Qizhongtian Creek Waterfall Group in Taichung attempted to self-lower off of a pitch using using three lengths of rope tied together, which resulted in a canyoning accident.
Before he reached the ground, one of the knots connecting the ropes reached the rappel ring and was unable to pass through, stopping his descent. He attempted to ascend back up to the rappel station using prusiks but was unable to climb past an overhang. After struggling in this position for some time, he realized his prusiks had become entangled with both ends of the rappel rope below him. This entanglement caused him to be stuck in a free hang, unable to ascend or descend. At this point, SAR was called.
Qizhongtian Creek Canyoning Accident Details
| Dates of Event | 2021/11/14 – 2021/11/15 |
| Canyon/Route | Qizhongtian Waterfall Group [GPS] |
| Team | Recreational Group |
| Cause | rigging error |
| Result | 1 canyoneer stranded on rope for 6 hours; SAR requested |
| Source | https://reurl.cc/ZyYoOV |
Location
This canyoning accident occurred while rappelling down the 40-meter waterfall in Qizhongtian Creek.
Timeline
2021/11/14 13:00 – Canyoneer discovers he is stuck
2021/11/14 13:48 – SAR is called
2021/11/14 19:00 – (Estimated) SAR arrives
2021/11/14 19:49 – Rerigging complete
2021/11/14 19:53 – Canyoneer lowered to ground
2021/11/15 06:30 – Group & SAR begins descent of 60-meter waterfall
2021/11/15 10:00 – Group & SAR reach roadside
Team
15 total; the party involved in this incident is the group leader
Equipment
[Rope A] 80m 9mm rope (core shot)
[Rope B] 50m 9mm rope (core shot) (left behind)
[Rope C] 30m 10mm red rope (left behind)
[Rope D] 30m 10mm yellow rope (core shot) (left behind)
[Rope E] 20m 10mm rope (left behind)
[SAR] [Rope F] 100m 11mm (core shot)
Qizhongtian Creek Canyoning Accident
Anchor Rigging and Rope Abrasion
Upon reaching the 40-meter waterfall in Qizhongtian Creek, the group leader rigged a releasable figure 8 block with Rope B (50m). Once he lowered the first person down the pitch to set rope length, the remaining group members proceeded to rappel down one by one.
Several less experienced members of the team caused damage to the rope through abrasion as they rappelled. The third-to-last group member slipped while rappelling and the resulting pendulum motion cause additional damage to the rope.
As the second-to-last teammate rappelled, he noticed a core shot section of rope. The core shot section of rope offered less fiction, causing him to accelerate as they rappelled. Upon reaching the remaining sheathed section of rope, the additional friction allowed him to decelerate and regain control of his rappel.
Rope B (50m) was core shot during the descent of the 40-meter waterfall.
Potential Improvements
- An alternative natural anchor was available. Using this anchor would have resolved the issue of rope abrasion
- When dealing with rope abrasion, adjust the rope between rappels to prevent the damage from concentrating on one section.
Rope Retrieval Problems
At this point, group members at the bottom of the pitch used a whistle to signal to the the group leader that Rope B (50m) had been core shot. The group leader pulled up Rope B (50m).
He decided to self-lower down the pitch using the remaining ropes immediately available to him. By joining Rope C (30m), Rope D (30m), and Rope E (20m), he created a 80m length of rope. He threaded a rope end through the rappel ring and used a clove-hitch and carabiner to connect it to his belay loop. The rope on the other side of the rappel ring he through his descender (creating a DoubleD Rope System).
As he self-lowered down the pitch, one of the knots connecting the ropes was not able to pass through the anchor’s rappel ring. This made continuing his descent by self-lowering impossible.
Potential Improvements
- The group leader could have used Rope A (80m) by retrieving it from below. Alternatively, the Rope A (80m) could have been left at the top of the pitch to begin with.
- The group leader did not consider the problems that would occur with self-lowering after rerigging.
A Failed Self-Rescue Attempt
As he discovered his rope system would not allow him descend to the bottom of the pitch, the group leader decided to ascend back to the anchor. Since he had to ascend both ropes at once, he used dual prusik hitches to ascend.
Upon reaching the overhang that was below the anchor, he was unable to move his prusik hitches above the lip of the overhang. He attempted to attach a hand ascender to a section of rope above the lip. But, because the ropes were still under load and flush with the rock above the overhand, this proved impossible.
At this point, he gave up on ascending and considered descending again. Unfortunately, as he had been struggling with passing the lip, his rappel rope had become entangled with his prusik cords. This prevented him from adjusting the position of his prusiks, which essentially locked him in his current position.
During his struggles, the sun had gone down and it was now getting dark. The group leader asked his teammates at the bottom of the pitch to swing a nearby steel wire into his reach, so that he could attach himself to it (with a quickdraw) and guide himself out of the water flow. He was able to adjust his position and began to wait for rescue.
Potential Improvements
- The original accident report mentioned that the prusik hitches should not have wrapped both ends of the rope. This seems to imply that the unpassed hitch could serve as a knot block, which would create a single rope system and allow the use of a mechanical ascender.
SAR Arrives
SAR arrived after dark and rigged a new rope system to allow the stuck group leader to descend. The canyoning group and SAR then made a collective decision to spend an emergency night in the canyon before continuing to descend another 60-meter waterfall. Rope B (50m) and the ropes used in the self-lowering system, Rope C, Rope D, and Rope E, could not be recovered and were left on top of the 40-meter waterfall.
The following morning, the group leader used Rope A (80m) to lower one member of the rescue team down the 60-meter waterfall using a releasable figure 8 block. The remaining members of both teams continued rappelled down. After 5 people had rappelled down, a second SAR team arrived below the falls with Rope F (100m).
At the top of the pitch, Rope A (80m) was replaced with a newly delivered Rope F (100m). The rope was adjusted after every 4 rappels to prevent concentrated rope wear. The canyoning team and the first SAR team descended the 60-meter waterfall leaving only the original group leader at the top of the pitch. The group leader converted the releasable figure 8 block to a retrievable figure 8 block and rappelled down. The teams climbed out and reached the roadside at around 10:00 AM.
Rope A (80m) and Rope F (100m) were both core shot during the descent of the 60-meter waterfall.
Additional Conclusions
To avoid a repeat of the Qizhongtian canyoning accident, the report advises future teams to bring multiple backup ropes.
Visit the Taiwan River Accident Database to browse more river tracing and canyoning accident reports.