Reported Mountaineering Accidents, Table III
TABLE III
1951–93
USA
1959–93
CAN.
1994
USA
1994
CAN.
Terrain
Rock
3141
367
112
17
Snow
1910
286
41
7
Ice
167
77
5
1
River
12
3
0
0
Unknown
22
6
0
0
Ascent or Descent
Ascent
2849
395
108
15
Descent
1740
265
49
9
Unknown
245
2
1
1
Immediate Cause
Fall or slip on rock
2060
195
87
10
Slip on snow or ice
703
144
22
4
Falling rock, ice or object
435
103
16
1
Exceeding abilities
351
27
16
0
Avalanche
245
101
2
2
Exposure
219
12
6
0
Illness1
224
20
22
0
Stranded
208
43
13
3
Rappel Failure/Error
161
26
12
3
Loss of control/glissade
157
14
2
1
Fall into crevasse/moat
121
37
2
0
Failure to follow route
103
18
6
0
Piton pulled out
71
12
0
0
Nut/chock pulled out
73
3
9
0
Faulty use of crampons
52
5
3
0
Lightning
39
6
0
0
Skiing
41
9
0
0
Ascending too fast
40
0
3
0
Equipment failure
5
2
0
0
Other2
129
14
22
1
Unknown
58
8
0
0
Contributory Causes
Climbing unroped
836
138
22
1
Exceeding abilities
797
152
16
1
Inadequate equipment
504
65
9
1
Placed no/inadequate protection
351
47
36
4
Weather
341
39
13
3
Climbing alone
291
52
7
0
No hard hat
189
19
16
2
Nut/chock pulled out
152
12
2
4
Darkness
103
14
2
0
Party separated
90
16
2
0
Piton pulled out
82
10
0
0
1951–93
USA
1959–93
CAN.
1994
USA
1994
CAN.
Poor position
89
12
7
0
Inadequate belay
74
11
18
1
Failure to test holds
62
15
1
0
Exposure
53
9
0
1
Failed to follow directions
51
5
2
0
Illness1
27
4
2
0
Equipment failure
8
4
0
0
Other2
197
78
10
1
Age of Individuals
Under 15
107
11
3
0
15–20
1093
193
19
0
21–25
1321
221
26
0
26–30
915
183
40
2
31–35
535
90
27
2
36–50
716
95
30
9
Over 50
101
14
15
2
Unknown
775
386
36
43
Experience Level
None/Little
1396
261
33
8
Moderate (1 to 3 years)
1247
320
33
14
Experienced
1164
333
52
17
Unknown
1216
222
78
19
Month of Year
January
161
10
9
0
February
165
36
3
0
March
222
41
6
0
April
299
27
8
0
May
631
41
27
1
June
758
45
28
5
July
843
196
23
10
August
745
110
29
7
September
1004
44
11
2
October
298
29
8
0
November
144
5
2
0
December
54
16
4
0
Unknown
4
0
0
0
Type of Injury/Illness (Data since 1984)
Fracture
594
98
70
13
Laceration
256
31
40
12
Abrasion
154
29
18
6
Bruise
156
34
21
15
Sprain/strain
142
13
18
0
Concussion
78
11
8
0
Frostbite
66
4
4
0
Hypothermia
60
7
13
3
1951–93
USA
1959–93
CAN.
1994
USA
1994
CAN.
Type of Injury/Illness (cont.)
Dislocation
49
6
8
0
Puncture
21
3
4
0
Sub-Acute Mountain Sickness
11
0
2
0
HAPE
44
0
2
0
CE
7
0
4
0
Other1
139
23
15
3
None
53
3
5
0
lThese include: a) fatigue (9); b) HACE (3); c) HAPE (2); d) AMS (2); e) hypothermia (7); f) possible umbilical hernia; g) frostbite (2); h) possible duodenal or gastric ulcer; (2); i) dehydration (7); j) grand mal seizure; k) ruptured spleen; 1) pneumothorax (5); m) viral and bacterial infection leading to diarrhea and vomiting; n) epidural bleeding; o) lung puncture; p) preexisting condition—unhealed thigh muscle strain led to fracture.
2These include: a) decision to go on instead of turning back (11); b) unable to self-arrest (14); c) haste; d) crampon point caught in ice while falling; e) climber not clipped in to anchor got knocked off by partner falling; f) underestimated avalanche potential; g) inadequate fluid intake—led to dehydration (7); h) poorly ventilated tent; i) rappel ropes knot “untied” (2); j) hair caught in rappel device; k) ran out of food and ropes frozen; 1) drugs (2); m) sling anchor burned through and broke; n) belay rope too short— end came through belay plate; o) using Figure Eight as belay device—rope ran through; p) no spotter—bouldering (2); q) put rappel rope through figure 8 wrong—did not hold; r) incoming tide caught climber; s)unclipped from safety line on rappel; t) descending snow in heat of day; u) ledge collapse.
(Editor’s Note: Under the “other” category, many of the particular items will have been recorded under a general category. For example, the climber who fell into his unanchored partner knocking him off would be coded as Fall on Rock, Falling Rock/Object, and Placed Inadequate Protection. The point in this category is to provide the reader with some added detail. It should be apparent that many of these details can be translated into a few basic categories.)