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Further details on Bachar death
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John Bachar, world-renowned free soloist passed away in an apparent climbing accident on Sunday, July 5. Bachar, a resident of Mammoth Lakes, was climbing without ropes at Dike Wall where he seems to have fallen. The reporting party, some fellow climbers in the area, did not see the accident but heard noise from the fall and called emergency services. Mono County Paramedics and the Mammoth Lakes Fire Department were first on scene around noon, with Mono County Search and Rescue following shortly thereafter.
Bob Rooks, Division Chief of Operations with Mammoth Lakes Fire Department, was the Incident Commander on the scene that day.
“No one actually seems to have seen the fall,” Rooks stated. “He was climbing without a rope and without a helmet.”
Dike Wall is located on the backside of Lake George in the Lakes Basin. The engine companies were sent across the lake in boats from the Lake George Marina while Search and Rescue walked the foot trail around the lake to the scene. After stabilizing Bachar where he was found at the base of the wall, rescuers had to carry the unresponsive, but breathing 51-year-old on a litter, or stretcher, across a boulder field and down a trail to the lake, where they loaded him into a motorboat. Dike Wall sloughs off much like Devils Postpile, according to Rooks, which is the reason for the boulder field.
“In a situation like that we move as fast as we can," Rooks explained. "There was some tricky footwork in order to carry the litter through the boulders.”
According to Rooks, the path takes about 10-15 minutes without a litter. He was unsure how long the transfer took in total.
Once across the lake, Bachar was loaded into an ambulance and taken to Mammoth Hospital. He remained unconscious the entire time of the transfer. It was at Mammoth Hospital that Bachar passed away from severe injuries. At this time there are no further details on what may have caused the accident. According to Rooks, the Mono County Sheriff’s Department, which also serves as the County Coroner, will be the agency responsible for looking further into the cause of the fall.
