At approximately 11:15 a.m. on August 31, a climber called 911 to report that he was with a 38-year-old man from another climbing party who had been injured by rockfall on Gilkey Tower and was unable to move under his own power. The caller was a solo climber making a traverse from the South Teton to Nez Perce. The injured man had been roped to two partners doing the same traverse. On Gilkey Tower, the solo climber was above the other group when a ledge he was standing on broke loose. The subsequent rockfall raked the three climbers below. Two of the partners managed to dodge the rocks, but a watermelon-size rock struck the 38-year-old man. The force of the impact knocked him off his stance, and he slid approximately 10 feet before being caught on belay by one of his partners. The solo climber descended to the injured man and helped assess his injuries, which included contusions, abrasions, and a large hematoma on his thigh. They determined that he needed a rescue.

At about 1:10 p.m., after a reconnaissance flight, ranger K. Kreis was short-hauled to the accident site. He assessed the injured climber and confirmed a short-haul extraction was warranted, and at 1:45 p.m., after splinting the injured leg for the short-haul, he and the injured man were extracted from Gilkey Tower and brought to Lupine Meadows. (Source: National Park Service Search and Rescue Report.)

ANALYSIS

On busy routes, each party must continuously monitor the position of other climbers to assess the potential for rockfall and other hazards. Although the exact circumstances in this case are not known, a good practice is for a faster party to ask if the others are in a good position before passing overhead, and for the trailing party to pause in a sheltered spot whenever someone passes. (Source: The Editors.)