Free fall: Rock climber Thad Ferrell from Memphis survives 100-foot plunge

He's a flatlander from Memphis, but Thad Ferrell has developed a reputation around Durango as a superb and even beloved rock climber in the 11 years he's lived in that Colorado mecca for outdoor sports.

The Memphis University School graduate is known there for generously sharing his passion and expertise with others, and for being a "climbing lifer.'' That label takes on a new, miraculous meaning since he survived — with critical injuries — a 100-foot free fall from the top of a climbing route so popular and challenging that climbers call it "Holy Grail."

The accident happened midafternoon Sept. 9 after what his climbing partner that day described as "a major and tragic miscommunication.''

Ferrell on Monday remained in critical condition in intensive care at St. Anthony Hospital outside Denver, a hospital spokeswoman said.

He is undergoing multiple surgeries for injuries that include broken ankles, pelvis and jaw, said friend Steve Fassbinder of Mancos, Colorado. But Ferrell had no internal brain injuries and no paralysis, friends have said.

"He's lucid and aware'' and preparing for another ankle surgery on Tuesday, Fassbinder said.

'Shouldn't have lived'

As fire chief of the Upper Pine River Fire Protection District, Bruce Evans is experienced in search and rescue in wilderness areas around Durango. "He's lived a good life obviously,'' Evans said of the spry, 40-year-old Ferrell. "This really is a miracle for him to survive something like that.''

Fassbinder, the friend who is also a climbing buddy, said, "He's doing really well considering the accident and the height he fell from.

"First of all, he shouldn't have lived but did, which is a miracle,'' Fassbinder said. "He'll be getting numerous surgeries. He'll have an extended hospital stay.''

A day of climbing

Farrell and friend Lizzy Scully, an experienced climber herself, spent that Saturday completing climbs of about 100 feet each in a gorge of the San Juan Mountains along the Florida River, about 20 miles northeast of Durango.

The 30 or so climbing routes on the cliff faces near Lemon Reservoir are popular. They drew many climbers that day, which would help save Ferrell's life.

Scully, still recovering herself from the emotional trauma of the accident, referred a reporter's questions to Fassbinder, her boyfriend. Fassbinder had stayed home that day, but relays this account from Scully:

Signal confusion

On the ground, Scully was the belayer, the person who holds the rope threaded through bolts anchored in the rocks to support the climber should he slip.

Soon after Ferrell reached the top of the climb, Scully saw him give the hand signal that he was off belay. That meant she could let go off the rope. The noisy burbling of the knee-deep Florida River near the foot of the cliff required hand signals.

"You need to be proactively attaching yourself to anchors before you ask for the belay to be off,'' Fassbinder explained about rock-climbing.

"Whether he gave the wrong signal or she got confused on the sign, she let go,'' Evans said. "As soon as she let go, he fell.''

Holy Grail is a vertical-face route. There's no tumbling down a steep incline.

"You're falling in the air; you're not touching anything,'' Fassbinder said. "It's over-vertical slightly.''

"It's like a sheer granite cliff,'' Evans said. However, nearby climbers witnessed Ferrell hitting "a couple of things on the way down, which kind of slowed the velocity,'' he said of rock outcroppings.

Where he landed

The spot where Ferrell landed also helped save his life: Between two big rocks. "If he had landed two feet in either direction, he probably would have been a fatality. He would have landed on sharp rock instead of the dirt between the rocks,'' Evans said.

Other circumstances helped to save Ferrell, too.

The box canyon was crowded with other climbers. Several there were trained as Wilderness First Responders.

'Completely a miracle'

"It's completely a miracle,'' Fassbinder said. "I don't use that term lightly, or ever, because it doesn't happen.''

The Wilderness First Responders "definitely'' saved Ferrell's life at the foot of the cliff, he said. "They maintained his airway, that was the main thing. It was compromised. They kept it open.''

Among other things, those certified rescuers turned Ferrell on his side to prevent him from choking, Evans said. They kept him breathing until the helicopter ambulance arrived.

'I feel responsible'

Scully was traumatized. Grief and guilt wracked her for having let go of the rope, even though the accident apparently resulted from a miscommunication. She was the first to donate to a gofundme.com page to raise money for Ferrell, who's married with children and does carpentry for a living.

"It may or may not be my fault, but regardless I feel responsible for this tragedy and likely always will, and it feels like one of the worst things that I have ever experienced,'' Scully wrote on her Facebook page. "I am so sad. But, I am also really really grateful that he is alive.''

What really happened may never be known, Fassbinder said, especially if Ferrell is unable to recall. "He could have just fallen because he didn't clip in...

"There was a miscommunication about whether he was on or off belay. That's about as far as you can speculate. There's no way without talking to Thad. He may never remember that.''

It's common for climbers to go off belay at the top of a climb. They might clip themselves to anchors while they remove equipment from the top or perhaps pull rope for rappelling back down, Fassbinder said.

$100,000 goal

The goal of the fundraising through gofundme.com/we-thad-ferrell-recovery-fund is $100,000. As of Monday afternoon, more than $53,000 had been raised.

No matter what Ferrell's out-of-pocket medical costs add up to, he and his family will need every dollar raised, Fassbinder said.

"They are not going to get to the number they need for everything. They can't get enough. It's going to be staggering,'' he said, adding that at least a year could pass before Ferrell can return to work.

Durango loves Thad

Ferrell is not just a climber, but excels at cycling, long-distance and ultra-running, ice climbing, skiing and fly-fishing. He has shared his passion, guidance and expertise with untold numbers of people in and around Durango the past 11 years.

Even the fire chief who helped rescue Ferrell knows and admires him.

"Just looking at the people who really love this guy,'' Evans said. "Even my son had been to his climbing school," the fire chief said of an indoor class Ferrell once ran. "He's extremely popular.''

Among the many contributors to the gofundme account is the Durango Running Club, which gave $500 with this comment:

"Thad, you've touched the lives of many in many different organizations in Durango, and the Durango Running Club appreciates all that you've selflessly done for our running community. We wish you a full recovery, and look forward to when you'll be leading a group run up Hogsback again. Much love to you.''

'All-around good guy'

Here's another example of how well liked and well known Ferrell is in Durango. The independent weekly Durango Telegraph last week reported, "... Local climber extraordinaire and all-around good guy Thad Ferrell took a bad tumble last Saturday... Ferrell, a fixture on local trails... faces a long climb to recovery — mentally, physically and financially.'' The report encourages readers to donate to the gofundme account.

"Thad is a super-friendly guy,'' Fassbinder said. "If you forgot anything you needed for climbing, he'd give it to you, including the shirt off his back.''

For more information, visit gofundme and search for "Thad Ferrell'' or email thadrecoveryfund@gmail.com.