From: Dancewater@aol.com [SMTP:Dancewater@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2000 11:40 PM To: rivergypsy@SprintMail.com Subject: from rbp land Subject: WW Kayaker dies in Nisqually River (WA) From: yujin@nospam.com (Yujin) Date: Mon, 04 Dec 2000 05:50:03 GMT Snoqualmie man dies in Nisqually River ASSOCIATED PRESS and KIRO 7 EYEWITNESS NEWS LA GRANDE, Wash.?A 27-year-old Snoqualmie man died in the Nisqually River on Saturday, authorities said. Search and rescue crews had just been sent to the Alder Lake area in Pierce County when the body of Christopher Michael Ringsven was pulled from the river. He had been kayaking with a large group. An autopsy will be conducted Monday to determine the cause of death, the Pierce County Medical Examiner?s office said. (For additional information on this Class 5 section of the river that was recently opened to kayakers through efforts of American Whitewater, refer to the January/February 1999 edition of American Whitewater magazine ?Welcome Back Boaters? by John Gangemi.) ======================================== Monday, December 04, 2000, 12:00 a.m. Pacific Kayaker killed on Nisqually by Nick Provenza Seattle Times assistant metro editor Chris Ringsven yearned to live and work in the mountains. Coming from the relative flatness of Minnesota, he was lured to Washington state in August by the outdoor opportunities here and the challenges of whitewater kayaking, his family said. ?The last couple of years, he was making an effort to move to the mountains,? his brother, Craig, said by phone from Minnetonka, Minn., yesterday. ?He got there in mid-August and took a teaching job.? But the 27-year-old Cle Elum schoolteacher?s dream was cut short Saturday on the Nisqually River near Alder Lake in Pierce County. Ringsven died while kayaking the river during one of two annual releases of water from LaGrande Dam. His body was pulled from the river downstream from the dam, according to the Pierce County Sheriff?s Department. Exactly how and why he died is still being determined by the Pierce County medical examiner. His family says Ringsven had six to seven years of kayaking experience. ?He was an experienced kayaker,? his brother said. ?He was really good and super cautious.? Ringsven had been kayaking with a group of some 20 people who were taking advantage of a recreational opportunity that comes only a couple of times each year on the Nisqually, according to Sue Veseth of Tacoma Power. As part of its dam-licensing agreement to provide recreational opportunities, Tacoma Power agreed to release water from LaGrande Dam to provide a Class IV whitewater opportunity – Class V is considered the most difficult – to river runners. Kayakers must use ropes to lower themselves down a 200-foot canyon to the water. Once there, they ride the water released from the dam for a wild, but short-lived whitewater thrill. The obvious dangers of such endeavors led the power company to require those who sign up to be experienced kayakers and be at least 18 years old. They also must sign releases to assume personal responsibility if anything happens. ?Just getting in (to the canyon) is treacherous,? Veseth said. ?We?ve had grave reservations about doing this from a public-safety standpoint.? Brad Farris, who works at a kayak shop in Portland, said he rode the dam-release water last year. ?It?s an upper-end Class IV run,? Farris said. ?It?s not supremely difficult, though.? Last year, it took the 41 people who made the run more than three hours just to rappel or scramble down the canyon, Farris said. Ringsven lived in Snoqualmie and commuted over Snoqualmie Pass to teach music in the Cle Elum schools. ?He was a fine, fine young man, a wonderful person,? Cle Elum School Supt. Evelyn Nelson said Sunday. ?He was just beginning his career. We were all impressed with him and the enthusiasm he brought here.? Ringsven taught vocal and instrumental music at both the middle school and high school in the 1,000-student district. Ringsven grew up in Minnetonka, Minn., and went to undergraduate school at Williams College in Massachusetts. He attended graduate school and received his teaching degree from the University of Minnesota. His primary instrument was the piano, his brother said. Copyright © 2000 The Seattle Times Company [ seattletimes.com home ] [ Classified Ads | NWsource.com | Contact Us | Search Archive ] Copyright © 2000 The Seattle Times Company ===================================== —–Original Message—– From: CCWALBRIDGE@cs.com [SMTP:CCWALBRIDGE@cs.com] Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2000 10:19 AM To: rivergypsy@SprintMail.com; richb@amwhitewater.org; rglanville@phillipslytle.com Subject: Nisqualley Package for AW Staff & Board The enclosed attachment has my files on the Accident in the Nisqually?s Legrand Canyon for your review. It is a WP document. Charlie Walbridge ================================= —–Original Message—– From: CCWALBRIDGE@cs.com [SMTP:CCWALBRIDGE@cs.com] Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 10:47 PM To: rivergypsy@SprintMail.com; richb@amwhitewater.org; jason@amwhitewater.org; JGangemi@amwhitewater.org; bobgedek@icubed.com; gjackson@ci.tacoma.wa.us Subject: Nisqually Fatality Some thoughts: The recent drowning on the Nisqually was tragic, but it?s not going to be a disaster. Like a river outfitters, the question for AW was not if, but when! And, unlike outfitters, we are dealing with a knowledgeable clientele who operate outside our direct supervision. This limits liability for both us and the power company. We will investigate the accident thoroughly, but initial reports show a quick response to a hidden hazard. We have accounts from 2 participants out of 4 survivors of the group, plus several witnesses. We need to remember that: 1) Whitewater boating is inherently dangerous. But there are risks in everything we do, like driving a car. We accept these risks as a part of living. 2) The victim was an experienced whitewater sportsman who understood the risks ofg attempting the run. They accepted the river?s challenge voluntarily. 3) American Whitewater and Tacoma Power and Light took all prudent steps to warn participating paddlers of the risks involved. This included an extensive release and a video. 4) There have been deaths on other areas that we?ve worked on, the most significant being the squirt boater killed at Knife Edge on the Lower Moose River during Pete Skinner?s relicencing effort. We?ve also had a death at Great Falls. It makes our job harder, but in both cases we prevailed. In the case of Great Falls, it was hardly a bump in the road. Outfitters have found these things helpful. We should think about: 1) Having a designated press contact. Others contacted can say, ?Yes, we had a fatality, but I don?t know the details. But I can put you in touch with someone who can give you the details.? 2) Finding a way to express our concern, as an organization, to the victim?s family. I will be on the road until December 10 in Florida, but will be checking emails. ================================ My name is Charlie Walbridge and I am the Safety Editor of American Whitewater. I am AW?s designated reporter/ investigator of river accidents and have been doing this work since 1974. I am just starting to collect information on this accident and wanted to assure you that you?ll be kept ?in the loop? from now on. If there are others in your organization who need to be kept informed please let me know. If you have material I need to have please forward it to me. My address: Rt. 1, Box A43B, Bruceton Mills, WV 26525; Phone: 304-379-9002. While I regret that this accident occurred, it?s clear to me that the participants were experienced sportsmen who were thoroughly warned about the risks involved. It?s also clear that your company took all prudent steps to insure that all participants received detailed warnings of the nature of the LaGrande Canyon. While any death is regrettable, the fact is that we take risks every day when we step out of bed. My goal is to see that the public understands the nature of this activity, and that our membership appreciates the danger of our sport. I will be on the road at a trade show December 5-10, but I will try to check email if possible. Charlie Walbridge ================================= From: John Gangemi [SMTP:jgangemi@digisys.net] Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 12:33 PM To: CHARLIE WALBRIDGE Cc: Jay Kenney; klewis@snowcrest.net; Lee Belknap; Tom Christopher; Nick Lipkowski; Richb@amwhitewater.org; Jason Robertson Subject: Tacoma Contact Charlie: Contacgt person at Tacoma Public Utilities is Garth Jackson. He was in charge of this relicense with Rich. He has been great to work with each year on the releases. Very dedicated. I informed we take this very seriously and that we were gathering information. We stand by our earlier commitments to work closely with utility in case of an accident at any WW release. Garth Jackson: 253-502-8298 I am designating you as the person to contact boaters who observed the accident so they don?t get baraged with phone calls by all of us. My conversation with Garth revealed following: Release started at 10:00 AM First boaters down in canyon about 11:45. Victim in first group. At first Class V drop (about 3 rapids into run) group scouted and set up video. Victim first to run rapid (on video) Rescue ensued Garth Jackson had hiked down in the canyon to a point called th ecivil structure to film boaters going by. The Civil Stucture is downstream of 3rd rapid. Garth observed PFD float by and knew something was wrong so he hiked out of canyon. By the time he reached the rim a helocpter was already on the scene. Helicopter was from Ft. Lewis army base just down the road near Tacoma, WA.Helicopter employed rescue sling with basket. Victim was moved to powerhouse then trasnported by ambulance to army hospital (?). TPU shut off release asap. We should get the time water ceased spilling. Garth provided this information as well. Pierce County Sheriff, William Rudder (sp?) in charge of rescue I?ll get contact information and list of rescue personnel) Media accounts: Channel 13 from Tacoma on hand to film release I believe. Filmed Rescue attempt as well. I?ll see about getting copy. News story: Tacoma News Tribune ran story about accident Seattle papers?on strike?not aware of story in them. Victim information: Chris Ringsern (sp?) Age: ? Occupation: High School Teacher at Issaquah high school According to Garth Chris has no family in area. Recently moved from Minneapolis area. Not married. We will get contact information for following: Pierce County Sheriff Army base flight log Channel 13 tape Tacoma news tribune story List of boaters Copy of waiver ======================================== —–Original Message—– From: John Gangemi [SMTP:jgangemi@digisys.net] Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 11:57 AM To: Bob Gedekoh; CHARLIE WALBRIDGE; Jay Kenney; klewis@snowcrest.net; Lee Belknap; Tom Christopher Subject: Nisqually Regretably there was a death on the Nisqually River on Saturday morning, Dec. 2, 2000. I just learned of this on Monday morning Dec. 4th, 2000. American Whitewater should take do their utmost to investigate this accident. I have outlined steps below that I think we should take. I welcome additional ideas. Steps for Nisqually Investigation: ? Obtain detailed accident report?Charlie Walbridge (contacted 12/4/2000; 9:15 AM) ? Designate one American Whitewater Contact person ? Contact Tacoma Public Utilities ? Work with Tacoma Public Utilities ? Obtain list of names and addresses for all participants and release information, i.e., times, flows, etc ? Designate American Whitewater Contact person ? Contact Victims family ? Contact Boaters in immediate Group with victim ? Contact outside rescue personnell ? Develop press release/media response Brief background on Nisqually: Releases into the Nisqually?s LA Grande Canyon were negotiated by American Whitewater. This is the third year of releases in a post-licensing study on the whitewater releases. For your information, these releases occur on two weekends sometime between Nov. 15th and Dec. 15th. The first weekend of releases occurred on Nov. 18th with 41 boaters descending the canyon. This past Sat. 22 boaters entered the canyon. Please review the brief accident report embedded below to gain more insight into the accident. 07:06 AM 12/4/00 -0500, you wrote: Forwarded message FYI from Boatetalk Subject: Death on Nisqually – 12-2 On 12-2-2000 myself and 5 other paddlers ( Darren, Brett, Tim, Chris, and Rob) attempted an early morning decsent of the Legrand canyon on the Nisqually. To make a long story short, after a gruling put-in trail we came up to the 1st class v rapid. After scouting we decided the right hand slot was the line. I sat down to video the run as I had brought my videocam. The first to go was Chris. He looked like he had it but all of a sudden he just disappeared. I yelled at the others and ran to help. He was pinned for about 1 ½ to 2 minuets before Darren (the third awesome and heroic plunge to try to do something) got a line on his bow grabloop. As soon as we pulled the boat out, him and all his gear came out. Rob Ran like hell upstream for help. Darren, Brett, Tim and myself chased Chris down the river. When I caught up w/ Darren, Brett, and Tim they were administering cpr. Approximatly 45 min. later he was pronownced. A helicopter from Ft. Lewis was flown into the canyon to evac. We had to hike out of a canyon about 700 vertical feet – pure hell. Later we examined his boat and figured he was stern pinned against a rock, rectangular in shape. He was in a Perception Phat. questions – Don – 206-364-8247 or ttdmartin1@hotmail.com John Gangemi Conservation Director, American Whitewater 482 Electric Avenue Bigfork, MT 59911 phone/fax: 406-837-3155/3156 email: jgangemi@digisys.net www.americanwhitewater.orgAmerican Whitewater has worked hard over the past decade to open up stretches of river closed because of dams and diversions. One of these, the Grand Canyon of the Nisqually in eastern Washington State, is an outstanding Class V run through a scenic sheer-walled gorge. Unfortunately, there was a fatality during a scheduled release on December 2nd. Darren Albright, a member of the party who played a key role in the rescue attempt, wrote a detailed report of the day?s events. He was paddling with Chris Ringsven, 27, a strong Class V paddler, and four other people that day. They got out to scout “Hammer Slammer”, the first major drop. Everyone decided to take the most conservative right-hand line. Albright and another paddler set up safety while Ringsven made his run. His line appeared good until he hit a hidden rock towards the bottom of the drop He stopped dead, then disappeared under water. Albright, who was wearing a rescue vest, clipped into a throw line held by his buddies and leapt from shore to where Chris?s boat was pinned. He was able to brush Chris?s body and grab the boat before being carried away. He swung in to shore, got out of the water, and made a second jump. The boat shifted on impact, pushing the bow out of the water, and Albright was again washed downstream immediately. Swinging to shore, he took a second throw line from his friends and made his third jump. He brushed past Ringsven?s body again, then somehow found a shallow rock with his feet. He clipped the second line into the bow grab loop, then lifted the bow up while his friends pulled from shore. The boat came loose. They had freed it in about two minutes, an outstanding piece of rescue work. As the boat surfaced, Albright released his rescue harness and floated in the current, searching for Ringsven. He brushed the cockpit, but it was empty. He saw a life jacket near the cockpit and grabbed it. There was no one inside. Swimming into the eddy, he struck Ringsven?s body. He grabbed Ringsven?s arm, but could not hold on. Then he saw him disappear over the horizon line into the next rapid. Running alongside the river, Albright headed downstream. Forced into the water by a cliff, he swam the bottom part of the next rapid, straining to maintain visual contact. By this time Ringsven?s body was being carried into yet another drop. Albright swam to shore as one of his group charged past in a kayak. Albright worked along the shore, but was once again forced into the water by cliff walls. At about this time a second paddler hustled past him. Everyone walked around Class V Triple Falls, just below here. As Albright rounded a corner he could see his two friends performing CPR on a mid-stream rock. After assisting with CPR for about 20 minutes, Albright began a steep climb to the canyon rim to get help. He reached the highway, flagged a car, and reached a phone where he called 911. Dam officials shut off the water, and rescue squads were called to the scene. Meanwhile, a paramedic who was boating with another party arrived and pronounced Ringsven dead. Soon after this the body was removed from the river by a military helicopter. Although the rock was not visible, boaters who had run the canyon previously reported hitting it hard and even sticking to it momentarily. Albright examined the rock with the flow shut off and says it was definitely undercut. He also looked at Ringsven?s boat, which had a soccer-ball sized dent on one side. He believes that the pressure of the water probably collapsed the hull, making a wet exit impossible. Everyone who has read the account has been impressed by the group?s aggressive attempts at rescue. They came very close to succeeding.