During the 2023 season in the Mohonk Preserve, there were numerous climbing-related incidents that resulted in either lower- or upper-extremity injuries. Much effort has been put forth within the climbing community to help educate climbers on safe practices and reduce total climbing-related incidents, as well as to reduce the severity of accidents that do occur. When comparing the trend of recent years to that of the last century, these efforts have been successful. Nonetheless, climbing accidents are an inherent risk of the sport, and climbers should exercise the appropriate precautions.

In 2023, there were ten lead climbing falls, two bouldering falls, and one environmental accident that required SAR rangers to respond to climbers in distress. Among these, one incident was due to an environmental hazard and another was due to a musculoskeletal injury. Both of these incidents highlight the need for climbers to be attentive not only to climbing-specific hazards, such as falls, but also to their personal health while climbing and to the environment they are climbing in. (Sources: Mohonk Preserve Rangers, Dan Cassidy, and Andrew Bajardi, Chief Ranger.)