Reported Mountaineering Accidents, Table III
Table III
1951-86
1959-86
1987
1987
USA
CAN
USA
CAN
Terrain
Rock
... 2378
296
150
13
Snow
... 1407
243
36
10
Ice
... 108
48
6
2
River
.... 12
3
0
0
Unknown ;
.... 18
6
0
0
Ascent or Descent
Ascent : ;
... 2079
307
144
8
Descent : .
... 1426
209
45
16
Unknown :
... 228
41
3
1
Immediate Ci&ilse
Fall or slip on rock
... 1516
147
109
6
Slip on snow or ice
... 561
112
20
4
Falling rock or object
... 313
91
29
2
Exceeding abilities
... 261
26
17
1
Avalanche
... 214
89
6
2
Exposure
... 182
12
5
0
Stranded
... 151
36
8
2
Illness1
... 149
12
12
0
Failure of Rappel
... 134
18
1
0
Loss of control/voluntary glissade .
... 127
11
4
1
Fall into crevasse/moat
... 93
29
4
0
Piton pulled out
... 68
12
1
0
Failure to foilow route
... 74
17
9
1
Faulty use of crampons
... 40
3
3
1
Lightning * .
... 34
3
0
2
Skiing
... 30
7
0
2
Nut/Chdck pulled out
... 27
3
6
0
Ascending too fast
... 8
0
7
0
Equipment failure
... 4
2
0
0
... 57
9
8
0
Unknown3
... 45
7
1
1
Contributory Causes
Climbing unroped
... 720
96
21
2
Exceeding abiblities
... 692
118
13
4
Inadequate equipment
... 416
46
15
2
Weather
... 252
22
13
7
Climbing alone
. ... 225
35
7
2
Placed no/inadequate protection .
... 186
21
30
1
Darkness
... 84
11
4
1
Nut/chock pulled out
... 94
3
12
1
No hard hat
... 94
10
20
3
Piton pulled out
... 75
10
1
0
Party separated
... 66
13
3
0
Exposure
... 43
9
0
0
Failure to test holds
... 41
10
6
1
Inadequate belay
... 24
5
6
0
Poor position
... 18
5
11
0
Failed to follow directions ....
... 19
1
3
0
Illness1
... 17
2
7
1
Equipment failure
... 4
2
1
0
Other2
... 99
26
5
2
1951-86
1959-86
1987
1987
USA
CAN
USA
CAN
Age of Individuals
Under 15
...95
11
1
0
15-20
...991
173
21
3
21-25
...1082
192
49
3
26-30
...640
138
49
6
31-35
...315
62
38
3
36-50
...426
78
39
1
Over 50
...55
9
7
1 11
Unknown
...574
279
21
Experience Level
None/Little
...1231
222
35
5
Moderate (1 to 3 years)
...1070
234
42
5
Experienced
...807
134
81
15
Unknown
...841
192
57
0
Month of Year
January
...131
6
1
0
February
...138
29
2
0
March .......
...186
32
5
1
April
...215
18
19
2
May
...436
32
27
2
June
...564
33
45
2
July
...678
162
32
12
August
...609
172
18
4
September .....
...897
29
22
1
October . . . . ;
...224
25
13
1
November
...114
3
5
0
December
...35
10
3
o
Type of Injury/Illness (Data since 1984)
Fracture
...190
18
80
10
Bruise
...46
5
23
2
Abrasion
...57
4
27
1
Laceration
...77
5
45
3
Sprain/strain
...39
6
23
2
Concussion
...20
4
8
1
Dislocation
...10
0
4
2
Puncture
...10
2
o
o
Frostbite
...18
0
4
0
HAPE
...13
0
2
0
Acute Mountain Sickness
...4
0
2
o
CE
...1
0
1
0
Hypothermia
...18
5
5
o
Other4
...57
7
4
2
None
...14
0
3
3
1 These include: a) fatigue/exhaustion (15); b) HAPE, CE, AMS (5); c) an epileptic seizure.
These include: a) failure to tie in short while seconding a traverse and using ascenders; b)rope wrapped around neck three times; c) caught crampons on pack strap and tripped; d) dehydration; e) wasps; f) not familiar with equipment; g) mis-com- munication; h) protection got stuck.
Solo climbers on Mt. McKinely and on Mt. Logan disappeared.
These include flail chest/tension pneumothorax and collapsed lung.
(Ed. Note: Months of year data for USA in 1986 were incorrectly entered.)