On August 8, famous Canadian mountaineer and climbing guide Barry Blanchard suffered what was to be the worst fall of his long career: a flight of stairs. The 62-year-old man and his daughters were on vacation at a friend’s property in Saskatchewan when he fell down the concrete stairs, sustaining multiple skull fractures.
Unconscious, he was rushed to hospital. Doctors managed to stabilize her condition, but early assessments of her recovery were ambivalent at best. Early reports from his family indicated that he had lost most of his memory and his ability to communicate. Facial fractures and multiple brain hemorrhages completed the list of injuries.
No one knew if Barry Blanchard would climb again. Now, a little over two months after the incident, that’s exactly what he’s doing. Back home in Canmore, Alta., He did laps on the artificial climbing wall.
“I’m working on barrier 5.7,” Blanchard told ExplorersWeb. “I just got on the auto belay and did some laps. Right now, if I can do four laps, up and down, on 5.5 and 5.6, it’s a good day.
Blanchard’s injury and recovery
It may not be The Andromeda strain, but it is monumental progress for an accomplished climber with a long and active career. This way of life, and Blanchard’s memory, seemed threatened as he recovered from his injuries at Regina General Hospital.
Blanchard crosses the Cassin Ridge from Denali, 1982. Photo: Doyle / Creative Commons
“There is a period of eight or nine days when I don’t remember anything,” he said. “The last thing I remember was talking to my friend’s wife in their kitchen. Apparently I fell two or three hours after that. The next memory I have is over a week later in the hospital.
Despite the fear, Blanchard’s memory began to recover quickly, with the help of occupational therapists and speech therapists. He now feels his long-term memory is almost as good as it was before the accident.
“My very long term memory seems to be very intact,” he said. “I remember my childhood, my early studies and my climbing. And most of my climbs since I was, say, 20-40 years old come back!
“That being said, I may have to look for names of climbs or partners.” He thinks for a moment. “Not that it didn’t happen before I fell down the stairs.” [Laughs.] I just need to work on it more now.
While Blanchard’s sense of humor remains intact, he is transparent about the threat the incident posed. He graciously attributes his recovery to the support of his family, friends and the climbing community. He also knows that he would not have survived the incident himself without the care of countless professionals (starting with the friend he was visiting, who is a trained EMT).
“Because of all the fluids coming out of my mouth,” says Blanchard, “I would never have survived without him giving me mouth-to-mouth while the ambulance was on its way. “
Interestingly, Blanchard also took responsibility for his own survival – even when fighting for conscience in the hospital.
“I don’t remember exactly when, but at some point the will to survive became clear,” he said. “I don’t know how deadly the situation was, but people die of brain damage all the time – my family was terrified. In a room inside me, my back was against a wall I couldn’t see or understand. But I’m a messy little guy, so I got out swinging.
In the weeks following the injury, he toured the hospital services. Now, although noticeably wobbly, he walks around town – a mile or two at a time, on flat surfaces.
His climbing progress has been similar and he faces the same balance limitations. Doctors say the neural connections that govern its proprioception still haven’t fully recovered. Whether they do it or not is a guess (professionals included).
What’s next for Barry Blanchard. (Back to guidance?)
While Blanchard has conscientiously adhered to best practices based on the advice of his doctors, brain damage heals on its own terms. Its progress is confirmed statistically, as well as in its own perception, but its role is limited. As he says, he’s in the car but he’s not the one driving.
Still, he seems robust and lucid in conversation. It’s not only funny and thoughtful in turn, but also topically convincing. Perhaps the best news of all? Once his balance is regained and able to lead again, he will resume his life as a climbing guide. Like everything else in his new life, he intends to move forward step by step.
“Ultimately, my ambition is to return to the profession of a guide,” he said. “We’ll see how it works over time. Right now, I have to anticipate that I will be teaching initiation rock climbing. Who is awesome! All guides have a “best before” date regardless of the circumstances. So turning down the intensity is definitely not a bad thing.
Then Blanchard pauses for a moment, considering his answer. “But I hope I can start guiding bigger routes in the mountains again.”
About the Author
Sam anderson
Sam Anderson accepts any writing homework he can talk to while intermittently traveling the American West and Mexico in search of margaritas – er, adventure. He turned a decade of itinerant commercial work into a life of fine-weather rock climbing and trucking before (much to his parents’ relief) finding a way to use his bachelor’s degree in English. Sam loves animals, sleeping outdoors, campfire refreshments, and a good story.
