New Hampshire, Joe English Hill—On August 30 Gordon Weston (29) and Harry King (30) went to Joe English Hill in New Boston, New Hampshire. This cliff is several hundred yards long with climbs from one to two hundred feet high.

King and Weston roped up at a point where the bottom of the cliff dropped off sharply for about twenty feet before it again ran horizontally. The climb started at the end of a 20 foot ledge which was about eight feet above the roping up point. Running up towards the ledge about two feet above ground level is a wide crack. The belay point is on a ledge which runs parallel to the upper ledge and is about fifteen feet below. Weston started up the crack a few feet and then walked out along the crack with his hands on the ledge while King also moved onto the crack and started down to the belay ledge. Weston arrived at the start of the climb and said, “This is where it gets interesting.” King was still moving down to the belay spot. Then Weston shouted “Falling.” King did not see the start of the fall but saw him bounce on the ledge below. Weston’s primary injury was a depressed fracture of the skull.

Source: Harry King.

Analysis: Both climbers were experienced. The rock and weather conditions were ideal. The climbers were not on the climb but rather on an easy scramble to its start. Weston has no memory of the fall and King did not see it. As a result it is impossible to know the actual cause. The resulting injury would have been largely diminished if protective headgear had been worn.