Chanone Ryane went into shock after a softball-sized rock dislodged by mountain hikers struck her face
A hardcore hiker is warning weekend warriors to get some training — and manners — after her face was shredded in a rock shower caused by selfish climbers. Glacial geologist Chanone Ryane, 25, is nursing a black eye and badly cut cheek after she and two female pals were showered with shoebox-sized rocks during a scramble on Opal Ridge, near Mount Kidd in Kananaskis. The rock slide was caused by two men from Edmonton who failed to wait long enough for the trio to scramble their way down a steep gulley, or yell out a warning when they caused the rocks to fall.
Ryane, a seasoned hiker who scales mountains virtually every day as part of her work studying glacial deposits, was hit on the cheek by a rock the size of a softball. Her friends, Debbie Legaspie and Joleen Kadler, had to call for help from the side of the mountain as Ryane went into shock.
Ryane is putting out a warning to the hoards of new hikers hitting the hills near Calgary. “You have to be prepared and know what you are doing up there,” she says. “People don’t seem to realize how much damage even a small rock can cause. I am seeing this kind of behaviour more and more as the mountains get busier, partly because of Calgary’s booming population. Hikers dislodging rocks has become a real problem, and hikers have even started throwing rocks off of cliffs.” A Parks Canada spokesman confirms the number of people heading to the mountains has been dramatically increasing — with 30,000 more visitors hitting the peaks in April than during the same month last year.
Ryane, who is back to work this week at Mount Baker in Washington, was amazed to be the only one injured as dozens of rocks rolled down on her group. “We were scrambling down one of the more difficult sections on the mountain and almost out of the danger zone when all of a sudden these rocks – some really big – started bouncing towards us,” she recounts. “When I was hit, it felt like I had been punched in the face really hard. Because I have first aid training I could tell I was going into shock and needed help right away. My friends phoned in the emergency, and I booked it down the mountain to the highway, where paramedics and conservation officers were waiting for me.”
Also an accomplished mountain biker and equestrian, Ryane is outraged that the men were not more careful. “We didn’t think anyone would be coming behind us on that section (of the mountain),” she says. “Another guy on the mountain had told the hikers from Edmonton where we were and they still chose to follow us, despite there being several other routes. The guys were probably 50 to 75 metres above us when the rocks started falling — they didn’t even yell out a warning that we could hear. We were shouting at them to stop. After they found out I had been hurt they didn’t offer to help me down the mountain — they didn’t even apologize.”
In addition to rude behaviour, Ryane has noticed more people attempting hikes without being properly prepared. “I have had to give out my water to inexperienced hikers who have not brought enough. People don’t bring the right gear and get rained on. I’ve had friends call and say they are lost. There are some serious risks even on small hikes.”
Safety instructor Dave Watt, based of Rocky Mountain Adventure Medicine, explains that anytime there is an increase in numbers in the mountains there is generally an increase in anti-social behaviour. “I’ve definitely noticed a shift in the way people are carrying out their recreation in the mountains,” he says. “Suddenly people are bringing out their stereos and playing music while they are climbing a crag. Or they will bring out their dogs and let them run around at the bottom. There is just generally more of a disregard for other people. If you are on a gulley and you know there are people below you, you should definitely wait for them to be out of the way. If you are causing rocks to fall, you should always yell out a warning. Remember that other people go out into the mountains for solitude and serenity and to be safe. These are just basics of good etiquette.”
As far as safety goes, Watt says being prepared is the most important factor on any hike. “Plan for the worst and be prepared for the unexpected,” he says. “Do some easy trails at first to build up and do your homework. Read your guidebooks and maps, and ask more experienced hikers for advice. Take enough water and the right equipment, and be prepared to deal with the things that happen along the way.”
