Longtime readers will notice subtle but important changes to this year’s edition of Accidents, especially an increase in photos and diagrams. Our goal is not simply to dress up these pages but more to provide instructional information and visual context for accidents. In many cases, a picture truly is worth a thousand words.

Less visible but equally important is an expanding team of volunteer regional editors. We’ve enlisted local experts from Washington to West Virginia to seek out and edit the most informative accident reports in their areas, and also serve as Accidents ambassadors to nearby parks and SAR teams. This team will grow to cover the entire United States, adding local knowledge and personal relationships to our coverage, in much the same way as longtime volunteer Aram Attarian has done this in the Southeast. If you have a passion for climbing safety and an interest in journalistic coverage of accidents, you may be able to help in your area. Ask me for details at accidents@americanalpineclub.org.

Accidents will continue to evolve in three other ways that will become more prominent in the coming year. First and foremost, we will be publishing reports much earlier at our website: publications.americanalpineclub.org. Instead of waiting a full year for a new edition of Accidents, you will find reports online as soon as they are fully researched and edited. (Did you know that you can already search more than 4,000 accident reports at the website?) We also plan expanded online stories, using additional media to explain complicated incidents. And we’ll be working to make our statistics more useful and accessible to climbers and researchers.

All of these initiatives build on the remarkable legacy of Jed Williamson, who retired last year after 40 years at the helm of Accidents. If you have suggestions or comments, write to me at accidents@americanalpineclub.org.