Late in the afternoon on October 6, a male climber (22), after cleaning the anchors on Rat Stew (5.10a), a 75-foot climb, fell approximately 60 feet after rappelling off the end of one of his rope strands. He suffered internal injuries, including a lacerated lung, broken ribs, two broken vertebrae, a head contusion, and a concussion.

Analysis

According to reports, he did not check to be sure both ends of his rope were on the ground, nor did his belayer warn him the ropes were grossly uneven. He also did not tie blocking knots on the rope ends. (Source: Rick Weber, Muir Valley.)