Andrew Bower, 26, had taken it upon himself to replace worn bolts at this popular granite crag near Spokane with new stainless-steel gear. On November 6, he headed out alone to continue the project. His family went looking for him after he didn’t return home that night and found his body at the base of the cliff.

Investigators found trampled moss and pine needles atop the cliff and believe Bower may have slipped as he approached the edge to fix a rope. He had not yet taken any gear out of his pack and was not wearing a harness. (Source: News reports and Rock and Ice magazine.)

ANALYSIS

There was a similar incident in 2015 when an unroped climber fell from the top of a cliff in Colorado. Especially in sport climbing areas, where the anchors usually are placed below the lip of the wall, the terrain at the top may be untraveled, loose, and slippery, and anchors can be difficult to reach from above. Placing a temporary anchor and tying in or rappelling to reach the main anchor would prevent most accidents like this one. (Source: The Editors.)