Reported Mountaineering Accidents, Table III
TABLE III Numbers Refer to Persons Directly Involved*
1951-81
USA
1959-81
CAN.
1982
USA
1982
CAN.
Terrain
Rock
1760
220
75
16
Snow
1034
187
59
25
Ice
70
23
9
6
River
10
2
0
0
Unknown
10
4
0
1
*Ascent or Descent:
Ascent
1434
224
89
26
Descent
1130
141
47
18
Unknown
207
28
4
4
Immediate Cause
Fall or slip on rock
1056
102
52
14
Slip on snow or ice
425
81
32
6
Falling rock or object
230
71
14
6
Exceed abilities
196
19
23
5
Avalanche
189
75
9
6
Exposure and/or exhaustion
141
8
15
2
Stranded
129
24
9
5
Failure of rappel
120
9
1
3
Illness-including edema/frostbite1
102
9
16
3
Loss of control—voluntary glissade
96
8
7
2
Fall into crevasse
74
19
3
4
Failure of piton
64
11
2
1
Failure to follow route
42
5
6
6
Skiing
17
4
0
1
Lightning
33
3
0
0
Faulty use of crampons
31
2
1
1
Failure of nut
14
1
3
0
Heat prostration
4
1
0
0
Prusik/ascending device failure
3
1
1
0
Other
24
5
2
2
Unknown
32
4
2
1
Contributory Causes
Climbing unroped
599
73
34
10
Exceeding abilities
581
82
21
11
Inadequate equipment
295
36
34
5
Climbing alone
185
22
8
6
Bad weather
174
10
19
4
Darkness
71
5
3
2
Failure of piton
64
6
2
1
Party separated
57
7
1
2
No hard hat
48
5
12
3
Placed no/inadequate protection
49
7
18
5
Failure of nut
34
2
6
1
Exposure and/or exhaustion
31
3
3
4
Failure to test holds/old pitons
15
4
4
0
Old rope
8
1
0
0
Waist/harness failure
2
1
0
0
Other
37
8
15
3
Age of Individuals
Under 15
88
10
1
1
15-20
883
145
22
13
21-25
798
130
42
30
26-30
413
95
28
17
31-35
204
36
21
10
36-50
271
53
21
5
Over 50
20
5
11
1
Unknown
499
103
20
49
*Affiliation with Climbing Groups
Unaffiliated
938
84
65
19
Affiliated
886
186
14
16
Unknown
1001
181
61
91
Estimate of Experience
None or little
1097
134
24
24
Moderate
791
133
29
32
Experienced
537
147
40
33
Unknown
533
103
60
37
*Month of Year
January
108
4
2
2
February
108
24
3
3
March
154
25
7
1
April
156
9
7
1
May
276
24
29
1
June
437
23
19
3
July
534
128
19
8
August
469
119
27
21
September
283
20
10
4
October
154
17
11
3
November
93
2
4
1
December
23
5
2
0