By Steve Reilly •sreilly@gannett.com • August 17, 2010, 7:25 pm
Broome County native Dennis J. Murphy, 35, died Monday when he fell more than 100 feet in a rock climbing accident in Keene, N.Y., according to state police.
Police said Murphy, a resident of Lake Placid, had finished climbing up Washbowl Cliff in Adirondack Park along with a climbing partner when he slipped on the cliff’s edge at approximately 6:10 p.m. “He had successfully completed an ascent of the rock face and was traversing near the top of the ledge to a location where he intended on anchoring himself with climbing gear and rappelling back down,” state police said. “Prior to reaching his anchor location, Murphy lost his footing and handhold on the ledge, resulting in a fall in excess of 100 feet.”
New York State Forest Rangers and Keene Valley Fire Department Wilderness Rescue personnel responded to the accident. Murphy was flown by state police helicopter to a local airport, where Essex County Coroner Walter Marvin pronounced him dead, police said.
Ron Konowitz, the wilderness rescue coordinator for the Keene Valley Fire Department, said nothing could be done when he and other responders arrived at the scene.
“They were actually done climbing for the day, and they were just walking along the top of the cliff getting ready to come down when he slipped,” said Konowitz, who was also a friend of Murphy’s.
Konowitz described Murphy as an “accomplished climber” and an outdoorsman, and said there is nothing particularly dangerous about the Washbowl Cliff. It is believed the last serious accident at the cliff occurred in the 1960s, he said.
“He knew what he was doing,” Konowitz said. “Sometimes accidents just happen.”
Murphy grew up in the Binghamton area and studied mechanical engineering at Broome Community College before moving to Lake Placid, where he worked as a supervisor at Eastern Mountain Sports.
Tom Connolly, human resources manager for Eastern Mountain Sports, called Murphy’s death “very tragic.”
“He was certainly a very valued employee for over nine years,” Connolly said.
“He was a good guy, a great climber, and this was very unfortunate,” Konowitz said.
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By Stephanie Gosk, NBC News
