On October 6 a male climber (35) took a long lead fall while reaching high for a bolt. His fall caused him to impact a tree. He suffered broken ribs, a punctured/ collapsed lung, and broken scapula, requiring surgical repair. (Source: Rick Weber, Muir Valley.)

Analysis

Overreaching forces one’s center of gravity into the rock and may cause one’s feet to lose their grip. Sometimes it’s best to climb one or two moves higher to a better stance before clipping. Also consider the use of a stiff “cheater draw” for reaching distant bolts. Or use a stick clip. (Source: Aram Attarian.)