Reported Mountaineering Accidents, Table III
1951–01
1959–01
2002
2002
USA
CAN
USA
CAN
Terrain
Rock
3954
474
99
16
Snow
2230
335
32
4
Ice
222
127
6
9
River
13
3
1
0
Unknown
22
8
0
0
Ascent or Descent
Ascent
2553
516
104
17
Descent
2112
347
33
11
Unknown
247
7
0
1
OtherN.B.
5
0
1
0
Immediate Cause
Fall or slip on rock
2768
256
73
7
Slip on snow or ice
891
184
13
8
Falling rock, ice, or object
555
125
19
1
Exceeding abilities
481
29
8
0
Avalanche
269
117
6
1
Exposure
245
13
6
0
Illness1
328
23
14
1
Stranded
296
42
9
5
Rappel Failure/Error2
246
43
6
1
Loss of control/glissade
183
16
1
0
Fall into crevasse/moat
148
46
4
0
Nut/chock pulled out
153
5
21
0
Failure to follow route
151
29
7
0
Piton/ice screw pulled out
87
12
0
0
Faulty use of crampons
82
5
1
0
Lightning
43
7
1
0
Skiing3
50
9
0
1
Ascending too fast
60
0
0
0
Equipment failure
12
2
1
1
Other4
314
32
18
1
Unknown
60
8
0
0
Contributory Causes
Climbing unroped
941
157
8
1
Exceeding abilities
865
197
6
2
Inadequate equipment/clothing
607
68
12
2
Placed no/inadequate protection
600
86
25
6
Weather
420
60
14
1
Climbing alone
351
63
11
1
No hard hat
285
28
11
0
1951–01
1959–01
2002
2002
USA
CAN
USA
CAN
Contributory Causes, cont.
Nut/chock pulled out
196
17
0
2
Inadequate belay
167
25
4
0
Darkness
131
19
1
0
Poor position
135
20
12
0
Party separated
108
10
1
0
Piton/ice screw pulled out
84
12
1
0
Failure to test holds
87
24
1
2
Exposure
56
13
0
0
Failed to follow directions
69
11
1
0
Illness1
37
8
2
1
Equipment failure
11
7
0
0
Other4
244
96
4
2
Age of Individuals
Under 15
121
12
1
0
15–20
1207
201
12
0
21–25
1267
238
16
2
26–30
1137
201
33
0
31–35
777
107
23
1
36–50
1010
131
36
3
Over 50
171
24
10
0
Unknown
1793
472
74
22
Experience Level
None/Little
1615
292
20
2
Moderate (1 to 3 years)
1425
354
35
0
Experienced
1602
410
57
9
Unknown
1793
472
88
18
Month of Year
January
198
20
3
0
February
188
45
5
2
March
271
59
5
5
April
372
32
4
1
May
801
52
28
1
June
956
61
26
3
July
1013
236
24
4
August
957
164
14
7
September
1113
65
11
3
October
387
31
13
1
November
172
11
2
2
December
83
23
3
0
Unknown
17
1
0
0
Type of Injury/Illness (Data since 1984)
Fracture
943
184
52
11
Laceration
568
65
34
2
Abrasion
274
71
14
3
Bruise
356
71
21
5
Sprain/strain
249
27
20
0
Concussion
181
22
15
2
Hypothermia
134
14
4
1
Frostbite
99
9
7
0
Dislocation
91
11
4
1
Puncture
37
11
2
0
Acute Mountain Sickness
36
0
1
0
HAPE
62
0
1
0
HACE
20
0
1
0
Other5
240
37
18
6
None
165
176
11
3
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. (This category was created in 2001 to replace “unknown.”)
1These illnesses/injuries, which led directly or indirectly to the accident, included: exhaustion (7), dehydration (4), fatigue (2), syncope, HAPE, HACE, pulmonary infection.
2These include an inadequate knot (2), rope too short (2), and improper use of descending device, and no experience.
3This category was set up originally for ski mountaineering. Backcountry touring or snowshoeing incidents—even if one gets avalanched—are not in the data.
4These include: stranded because of dropping climbing harness (on El Cap) and rope jammed, inadequate water and food, climbing above dislodged rock, failure to turn back, disregarding instincts, not familiar with equipment, helicopter lost power—dragged victim through trees, extreme winds, river crossing—lost control because pack too heavy, distracting illness, miscommunication, handholds broke loose (4), climbing too slowly, top rope—fall resulted in pendulum, rock hold came off and severed finger (2), hands slipped out of ice-tool leashes resulting in fall, hubris.
5These included: dehydration (11), exhaustion (5), severe rope burn on belay hand (2), syncope (from arrhythmia), pulmonary infection, torn cartilage, flail chest, hemothorax, pneumothorax, brain damage, and an amputation of an index finger and severing of a finger (both successfully reattached).
(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.)