Reported Mountaineering Accidents, Table III
1951-00
1959-00
2001
2001
USA
CAN.
USA
CAN.
Terrain
Rock
3844
466
110
8
Snow
2199
330
31
5
Ice
211
118
11
9
River
13
3
0
0
Unknown
22
8
0
0
Ascent or Descent
Ascent
2438
501
115
15
Descent
2080
342
32
5
Unknown
247
5
0
2
OtherN.B.
0
0
5
0
Immediate Cause
Fall or slip on rock
2678
253
90
3
Slip on snow or ice
874
178
17
6
Falling rock, ice, or object
537
122
18
3
Exceeding abilities
467
28
14
1
Avalanche
268
114
1
3
Exposure
243
13
2
0
Illness1
315
22
13
1
Stranded
288
40
8
2
Rappel Failure/Error2
237
41
9
2
Loss of control/glissade
182
16
1
0
Fall into crevasse/moat
145
44
3
2
Failure to follow route
142
28
9
1
Nut/chock pulled out
138
4
15
1
Piton/ice screw pulled out
87
12
0
0
Faulty use of crampons
78
5
4
0
Lightning
42
7
1
0
Skiing3
50
9
0
0
Ascending too fast
47
0
13
0
Equipment failure
11
2
1
0
Other4
301
32
13
0
Unknown
60
8
1
0
Contributory Causes
Climbing unroped
934
155
7
2
Exceeding abilities
860
196
5
1
Inadequate equipment/clothing
586
75
21
3
Placed no/inadequate protection
570
84
30
2
Weather
409
58
11
2
Climbing alone
345
61
6
2
No hard hat
276
28
9
0
Nut/chock pulled out
194
17
2
0
Inadequate belay
152
24
15
1
Darkness
128
19
3
0
Poor position
135
18
0
2
Party separated
105
10
3
0
Piton/ice screw pulled out
85
11
0
1
1951-00
1959-00
2001
2001
USA
CAN.
USA
CAN.
Contributory Causes, cont.
Failure to test holds
81
22
6
2
Exposure
56
13
0
0
Failed to follow directions
69
11
0
0
Illness1
37
6
0
2
Equipment failure
11
7
0
0
Other4
243
91
1
5
Age of Individuals
Under 15
118
12
3
0
15-20
1193
201
14
0
21-25
1225
238
42
0
26-30
1115
200
22
1
31-35
761
107
16
0
36-50
981
131
29
0
Over 50
162
23
9
1
Unknown
1043
629
45
45
Experience Level
None/Little
1593
292
22
0
Moderate (1 to 3 years)
1401
347
24
7
Experienced
1551
393
51
17
Unknown
1710
449
83
23
Month of Year
January
196
18
2
2
February
186
43
2
2
March
261
56
10
3
April
361
32
11
0
May
782
51
19
1
June
941
61
15
0
July
985
231
28
3
August
931
159
26
5
September
1098
61
15
4
October
373
30
14
1
November
169
11
3
0
December
81
21
2
1
Unknown
12
1
5
0
Type of Injury/Illness (Data since 1984)
Fracture
938
178
5
6
Laceration
505
63
3
2
Abrasion
250
68
24
3
Bruise
323
69
33
2
Sprain/strain
223
24
26
3
Concussion
174
21
7
1
Hypothermia
129
14
5
0
Frostbite
95
9
4
0
Dislocation
90
10
1
1
Puncture
33
9
4
2
1951-00
1959-00
2001
2001
USA
CAN.
USA
CAN.
Type of Injury/Illness (Data since 1984), cont.
Acute Mountain Sickness
27
0
9
0
HAPE
56
0
6
0
HACE
19
0
1
0
Other5
222
36
18
1
None
165
76
0
0
N.B. Some accidents happen when climbers are at the top or bottom of a route, not climbing. They may be setting up a belay or rappel or are just not anchored when they fall.
These illnesses, which led directly or indirectly to the accident, included: HAPE (3), HACE, internal bleeding—previous history of G.I. bleeds, exhaustion—unfit and dehydrated, frostbite—inadequate footwear, stranded because of twisted knee—strained ACL, heart attack (one U.S., one Canada), transient ischemic attack (TIA).
2This includes rappelling off the end of the rope, anchor(s) inadequate, lowering a climber (from above or below).
3This category was set up originally for ski mountaineering. Backcountry touring or snowshoeing incidents—even if one gets avalanched—are not included in the data
4These included: inadequate instruction (3), caught ski tip on descent—heavy pack, failure to descend at first signs of AMS (4), foothold/handhold broke off (7), miscom- munication, dislodged rock which then broke rope, party dislodged rock and did not warn party below, inattention (2), guide book error, lost equipment.
5These included: rope burns on hands from rappelling or belaying improperly (3), internal bleeding (3), pneumothorax (2), hemothorax (2), strained ACL, pulmonary contusion, blindness caused by head injury from rock hitting forehead, ruptured Achilles tendon, collapsed lung, burns from lightning.
(Editor’s Note: Under the category “other, ” many of the particular items will have been recorded under a general category. For example, the climber who dislodges a rock that falls on another climber would be coded as Falling Rock/Object, or the climber who has a hand hold come loose and falls would also be coded as Fall On Rock.)