On October, 26 Lyle Dale Hurd III (49) died after taking a fall while climbing the Northeast Buttress, a popular route on Angels Landing. Hurd was in a party of four individuals, traveling in pairs; Hurd and his partner were following the other pair up the route. Hurd was leading the fifth pitch when he fell over 40 feet onto a ledge, after pulling out his top piece of protection. His partner witnessed the fall and called 911 before providing medical care to Hurd. Twenty members of the Zion Search and Rescue Team responded. When park medics reached the
ledge, they confirmed that Hurd had not survived his injuries. The SAR team worked through the night to evacuate the body and investigate the fall.

Analysis

The Northeast Buttress is an eight-pitch climb that is rated IV 5.10+. This was Hurd’s first time climbing this particular route, although he was an experienced climber and had completed several big-wall climbs previously in Zion National Park. This was the second fatal accident in the park for 2012, and the seventh climbing fatality since 1983. (Source: Edited from a news release by Zion National Park spokeswoman Alyssa Baltrus.)