On July 22, three climbers were on The Search, a 5.10 sport route at the Back of the Lake crag. This pitch starts off a large ledge about 20 meters above the ground. At around 3 p.m., the leader fell while climbing above the fourth bolt and impacted the cliff with one leg. It was a strange, twisting fall that resulted in an injury to the left knee (shattered patella). The leader was lowered back to the ledge by the belayer, and they called Banff Dispatch for help. The injured climber was in too much pain to be lowered to the ground by the two partners.

The Banff Visitor Safety team responded with a helicopter from Canmore. The team initially thought they might be able to heli-sling onto the ledge. However, after a test run without rescuers on the line, it was decided the terrain above was too overhanging for that technique. The rescuers landed nearby and walked and climbed to access the ledge. After splinting the injury and administering some pain medication, they lowered the climber to the ground in a stretcher.

ANALYSIS

The Search is gently overhanging and has a cruxy start. It is common for people to fall at the first or second bolt, where they risk a ledge fall. In this accident, the climber fell at the fourth bolt and impacted the cliff in a sideways fashion, injuring one knee. The reason given for the fall was sweaty hands. It was a warm day for the area, about 25°C.

Falling safely while rock climbing is a learned skill, as is belaying sport climbs, where falls are to be expected. Sometimes a tight belay (a “hard catch”) will cause the climber to swing into the wall with greater force, but it is not certain this was a contributing factor. While belaying a leader on a climb like The Search, the belayer needs to weigh the risk of giving the climber a softer catch and longer fall (and poten- tially a ledge fall) versus a shorter fall and potentially harder catch. This situation is fairly common in sport climbing, and the leader and belayer should discuss the risks and appropriate belay before each new climb. (Source: Banff, Yoho & Kootenay National Parks Visitor Safety Team.)