Support Kristofer’s Recovery After Climbing Accident

*** Please Note: When you click"donate" GoFundMe will indicate that Kristofer's Dad Tracy will "benefit from this donation"; This is a weird limitation of the GoFundMe interface related to who will physically make the transfer of funds. Rest assured 100% of any donation will be passed directly to Kristofer and Jessica as soon as they are made available by GFME -

As you might imagine, a sudden event like this throws everything into perspective and creates uncertainty on many fronts. Not the least of which are job and finances.

Jessica’s parents (Joe and Annette Hamilton) and Kristofer’s parents (Karen and Tracy) are inviting you to bless Kris and Jess financially in this unexpected time. Kris was set to begin a new job the Monday following the accident and now faces weeks, perhaps months, of rehab and recovery. Jess has been a fabulous partner in his recovery!

Additionally, Karen and Tracy can’t express enough thanks to Joe and Annette for being at the hospital and apartment during the crisis. It gave the Simmons much comfort to know they were there. They’ve been kind and selfless with their time and it’s been a tremendous blessing.

From Jessica’s Facebook Page:

Life can change so fast.

We’ve had a lot of friends and family reaching out to us, and we’re so grateful. Kris and I worked together to make this post, in an effort to fill everyone in on the story of what happened this weekend.

On Saturday, Kris had a pretty major rock climbing accident. He fell 40 feet while lead climbing at Olallie State Park at the Deception Crags area. He was up about 300 feet on The Ascensionist multi-pitch with his climbing partner when it happened. Kris had decided to try a more risky part of the climb since he had completed the route before in the past. All of the gear was correct, and the rope they were climbing on was inspected before use. Everything was set up for it to be as “safe” as possible.

He slipped and fell 40 feet into a big rock lodged on the cliffside, and his gear stopped him from taking the rest of the fall down the mountain. He shattered his fibula and broke his tibia. His partner immediately called for EMS. Kris started to go into shock while still on the wall and rope, but his partner was able to lower them both down to the closest cliff to help administer first aid to stabilize him.

Once Kris was stable, they both rappelled down 300 feet to the bottom to wait for the emergency response team.

When they reached the bottom, there were many other climbers who so graciously came to his aid and stayed with him while they waited for EMS. He is OKAY, and luckily there were no other significant injuries, and he was able to get the care he needed. He had emergency surgery that was successful in resetting his leg, and he’s back at home recovering. They ended up putting a titanium rod down the middle of his tibia and a plate for the shattered fibula.

I don’t think I could ever put into the right words how thankful I am to everyone on the mountain who came to his aid, most especially to his climbing partner who knew exactly what to do and got him down the mountain safely. I wish I knew the names of every stranger who stayed by his side so I could tell them how grateful I am.

Thank you to the Snoqualmie Fire Department and Emergency Management, Eastside Fire & Rescue, Eastside Firefighters, and Bellevue (WA) Fire Department who worked together to do everything possible to help stabilize him and get him back on the ground and transported to the hospital.

Also, to all of his nurses, doctors, and surgeon at Overlake Medical Center who made sure he was taken care of.

I’ve never been so terrified by a phone call, and knowing that this could have ended so much worse. Thank you to all of our friends and family who have reached out, checking in with us and wanting to help during this time. We really feel the love and support, and I can’t express enough how much it has meant to both of us.

Prayers and healing thoughts are very much appreciated during this time. He has a long recovery ahead of him. He’s a fighter, and I know he’s going to come out on the other side stronger. Just so thankful that he’s still here with us.

You’ve got so much more adventuring to do, my love❤️

A link to an article we found, where they talk about the rescue team as well:

https://unofficialnetworks.com/2024/09/10/sport-climber-rescued-after-40-foot-fall-in-washington-state-park/