Accident Reports ANAM
Falling Ice – Poor Position Canada, Alberta, Ghost River Valley

On February 2, a party of two was ascending a four-pitch WI5 ice route called Sorcerer. Low on the route, one of the climbers was struck by falling ice. He was lowered to the ground and a rescue was requested using a SPOT device. A multi-agency re...

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| Published 2015 | Author Robert Chisnall


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow – Inadequate Protection Canada, British Columbia, Joffre Peak

On January 11, three climbers perished after falling nearly the full length of the Central Couloir on the north side of Joffre Peak, east of Pemberton. The couloir is best known as an extreme ski descent, but this trio was ascending the route as a...

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| Published 2015 | Author The Editors


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow – Inadequate Equipment, Poor Position Wyoming, Middle Teton, Southwest Couloir

Climber 1 and Climber 2 had camped in Garnet Meadows on the night of August 28, with plans to climb the southwest couloir on the Middle Teton the following day. This route is 3rd class and is considered the easiest way to the summit. The two did n...

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| Published 2015 | Author National Park Service Search and Rescue Report


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Stranded – Off-Route, Inadequate Gear Grand Teton National Park, Teewinot

At 7:30 a.m. on August 22, three women began hiking up the “Apex Trail” from the Lupine Meadows Trailhead in an attempt to climb Teewinot Mountain (12,325 feet). The three climbers, all in their mid-20s, were attempting to ascend the standard east...

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| Published 2015 | Author National Park Service Search and Rescue Report


Accident Reports ANAM
Stranded – Poor Position, Stuck Rappel Rope Wyoming, Grand Teton, Stettner Couloir

On the night of August 15, at about 8:45 p.m., Teton Interagency Dispatch received a cell phone call stating that six persons were stranded in the Stettner Couloir. The subjects had climbed the Petzoldt Ridge and then rappelled into the couloir. T...

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| Published 2015 | Author National Park Service Search and Rescue Report


Accident Reports ANAM
Stranded – Off-Route Wyoming, Middle Teton, Dike Route

On August 11, while attempting to climb the Dike Route on the Middle Teton, Climber 1 and Climber 2—brothers with 39 years of climbing experience in the Tetons—got off-route. Unable to locate the top of the Dike Pinnacle, a prominent feature of th...

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| Published 2015 | Author National Park Service Search and Rescue Report


Accident Reports ANAM
Rockfall Wyoming, Middle Teton, Dike Route

At around 8:30 a.m. on July 7, Pete Mumford, a past Grand Teton seasonal employee, heard rockfall and a subsequent call for help. He quickly made his way to the base of the Middle Teton, near the Black Dike, where he found Climber 2 tending to her...

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| Published 2015 | Author National Park Service Search and Rescue Report and The Editors


Accident Reports ANAM
Avalanche Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park, Mt. Moran, Sickle Couloir

On May 17, four ski mountaineers were involved in an avalanche in the Sickle Couloir on the northeast face of Mt. Moran (12,605 feet). Three of the men were carried 500 to 600 vertical feet in the slide. They came to a stop on the surface, but one...

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| Published 2015 | Author National Park Service Search and Rescue Report


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Inadequate Protection Wisconsin, Devil's Lake State Park, West Bluff

On November 8, a 23-year-old male climber was leading a pitch on the West Bluff, belayed from the ground by a friend. He had just set his second piece of protection, at approximately 25 to 30 feet, when he fell. The top piece pulled out, and the l...

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| Published 2015 | Author The Editors


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Inadequate Tie-In Knot, No Helmet Wisconsin, Devil's Lake State Park, Rainy Wednesday Tower

A father and his 9-year-old daughter were climbing at Rainy Wednesday Tower on September 19. The father had over 30 years of climbing experience, and the daughter had climbed indoors but did not have much outdoor experience. The father was standin...

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| Published 2015 | Author The Editors


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Failure to Clip Anchors West Virginia, New River Gorge National River, Sandstonia

At 3 p.m. on November 6, a male climber (age unknown) fell while leading a sport route named Shady Lady (5.7) at the Sandstonia area of Bubba City. According to an NPS incident report, the climber was attempting to clip the anchors when he fell. D...

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| Published 2015 | Author NPS Incident Report


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Inadequate Protection, No Helmet West Virginia, Summerville Lake, Coliseum

During the afternoon of July 31, a climber from Canada (name unknown) fell while leading Apollo Reed (5.13a) at Summersville Lake, a popular summer climbing area 30 minutes north of the New River Gorge National River. According to others present, ...

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| Published 2015 | Author R. Bryan Simon


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Darkness, Inadequate Protection West Virginia, New River Gorge National Park, Junkyard Wall

Four friends were climbing late at night on July 5 at the Junkyard Wall after bad weather earlier in the day delayed their start. Near 2 a.m., John (23) had just completed a solid lead of New Yosemite (5.9), using headlamps to light the way, but h...

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| Published 2015 | Author Anonymous Report


Accident Reports ANAM
Rappel Error – Inadequate Anchor, Failure To Check Knot Washington, Mt. Rainier National Park, Sluiskin Mountain

On September 13, Timothy Hagan set out to finish the last of his climbs on the list of 100 Peaks at Mt. Rainier. The Chief is the eastern and highest peak of Sluiskin Mountain, a route that requires a 15-mile, 5,000-vertical-foot approach, followe...

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| Published 2015 | Author Dan van der Elst, NPS Ranger


Accident Reports ANAM
Stranded – Exposure, Weather Washington, Mt. Rainier

On June 11, Kyle Bufis, 25, and his partners, Derek Gavelis and Mathew Wiech, topped out on the challenging Liberty Ridge route on the north flank of the mountain. After reaching Liberty Cap, the trio got caught in high winds and whiteout conditio...

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| Published 2015 | Author Mt. Rainier National Park


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – No Anchor on Top Washington, Dishman

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 ...

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| Published 2015 | Author The Editors


Accident Reports ANAM
Avalanche Washington, Granite Mountain

On the morning of December 31, American Alpine Club President Doug Walker, along with two friends, set out to climb Granite Mountain, west of Snoqualmie Pass. They planned to follow the winter route that avoids the active main avalanche chute on t...

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| Published 2015 | Author The Editors


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow – Inadequate Protection Washington, Mt. Stuart, Ice Cliff Glacier

About midnight on February 16, Eric Strickler, 29, and Edward McFarlin, 28, left their base camp at 6,500 feet and navigated the steep snow and ice walls of the Ice Cliff Glacier, past the bergschrund and into the final gully leading to the northe...

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| Published 2015 | Author Edward McFarlin


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Failure To Retie Knot Before Lowering Virginia, Hidden Valley

On December 20, Jennifer Kendall “Kayah” Gaydish (36) fell from the anchors atop a sport route in the Ginseng area. An on-scene climber/paramedic and local EMS were unsuccessful in reviving her. The route has a set of hangers with rings at the top...

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| Published 2015 | Author The Editors


Accident Reports ANAM
Rappel Error – Inadequate Equipment, No Backup Vermont, Green Peak, Bat Caves

On October 21, GR, a 45-year-old male from Vermont, and TW, a 43-year-old male, went to Green Peak near Dorset to climb in the Bat Caves area. They hiked to the top of a 40- to 50-foot cliff, where they used a static line to anchor themselves as t...

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| Published 2015 | Author Neil Van Dyke, Search and Rescue Coordinator, Vermont Department of Public Safety