On June 21, a 58-year-old male climber injured his right shoulder during a self-arrest to stop a roped teammate’s sliding fall on the ridge above 16,200 feet on the West Buttress Route. At 14,200-foot camp, the patient was examined and the shoulder determined to be unusable for a safe descent on foot. The patient was flown to Talkeetna to seek further treatment.

ANALYSIS

A sudden self-arrest creates violent twisting forces that can lead to injury. It’s possible to minimize these impacts by staying mentally prepared for the possibility of self-arrest and by keeping minimal slack in the rope between teammates. (Source: Denali Mountaineering Rangers.)