Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Inexperience, Weather, Protection Pulled Out Wyoming, Grand Teton, Lower Exum Ridge

On October 5, at approximately 11:15 a.m., a male climber (26) called Grand Teton dispatch to report that his partner (male, 39) had fallen and broken his leg while leading the first pitch of the Lower Exum Ridge. He stated they needed to be rescu...

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| Published 2014 | Author Chris Harder


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Suspected Rockfall, Climbing Alone Wyoming, Grand Teton, Upper Exum Ridge

On the morning of August 8, a solo climber sustained life-threatening injuries in a fall while attempting the Grand Teton. Steve Markusen (60) was climbing midway between the Friction Pitch and V-Pitch on the Upper Exum Ridge when the accident occ...

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| Published 2014 | Author Jackie Skaggs


Accident Reports ANAM
Rockfall – Failure to Test Holds Wyoming, Grand Teton, Upper Exum Ridge

On July 27, Joshua Smith and I (both 32) attempted the Grand Teton via the Upper Exum Ridge. While climbing the route, I sustained severe injuries to my left foot when I pulled a loose boulder down. The incident occurred in a section of the climb ...

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| Published 2014 | Author Brett Verhoef


Accident Reports ANAM
Slip on Snow – Inadequate Equipment, Exceeding Abilities Wyoming, Disappointment Peak, Lake Ledges

Late in the day on June 29, a female climber (27) fell and sustained serious injuries while descending the Lake Ledges route on Disappointment Peak. [Editor’s note: Lake Ledges is a 4th class route in midsummer and a moderate snow climb through sp...

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| Published 2014 | Author Chris Harder


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Inadequate Protection, No Helmet West Virginia, New River Gorge National River, Junkyard Area

On November 9 a male climber (28) was leading New River Gunks, a popular 5.7 traditional route, when he fell approximately 12 to 15 feet. The climber, whose only protection was a single fixed cam (Wild Country Zero 5), suffered a groundfall and la...

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| Published 2014 | Author Jeff West


Accident Reports ANAM
Animal Bite West Virginia, Bozoo, Iceberg Area

On August 30, Jay Sullivan (56) was bitten by a bat (species unknown) while climbing a short trad route called Playing Hookie (5.7). According to the climber, he was unsure whether he had been bitten or if he had jammed his finger awkwardly into t...

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| Published 2014 | Author R Simon


Accident Reports ANAM
Crevasse Fall – Climbing Unroped, Inadequate Equipment Washington, Mt. Rainier, Muir Snowfield

At around 2 p.m. on September 5, a report came in from an RMI guide that he had encountered an independent climber (age approximately 35) who had fallen into a crevasse on the Muir Snowfield at around 9,900 feet. The climber was several feet below...

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| Published 2014


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Ice – Possible Avalanche Washington, Mt. Rainier, Liberty Ridge

On Monday, May 26, an Alpine Ascents International guided party started an ascent of Mt. Rainier via Liberty Ridge. Led by guides Matt Hegeman and Eitan Green, John Mullaly (Seattle), Uday Marty (Singapore), Mark Mahaney (St. Paul), and Erik Kolb ...

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| Published 2014


Accident Reports ANAM
Rappel Failure – No Knot on Rope End, Fatigue Washington, North Cascades, Le Petit Cheval, Spontaneity Arête

On September 6 my husband, Eric Peter Anderson (28), and I (27) summited Le Petit Cheval via the Spontaneity Arête (5.7) for our first anniversary. It was a gloriously clear day and we took our time on the route, admiring the views and relishing t...

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| Published 2014 | Author Dandelion Dilluvio


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Ice – Anchor Failure Washington, Snoqualmie Pass, Kiddie Cliff

On December 3 I left the Alpental parking lot around 10 a.m. with a good friend to find some ice to top-rope. This trip was training for bigger alpine ice objectives to follow in 2015. After about two hours of hiking and hunting, we found a gully ...

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| Published 2014 | Author Josh Hancock


Accident Reports ANAM
Crevasse Fall – Poor Position Washington, North Cascades National Park, East McMillan Spire

On July 29, my husband, Arthur Greef (52), and I (Colleen Hinton, 52) left camp at 6:30 a.m. with the goal of climbing the west ridge of East McMillan Spire (Class 3/4), followed by the southeast face of West McMillan Spire (Grade II 5.7). The wea...

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| Published 2014 | Author Colleen Hilton


Accident Reports ANAM
Rappel Error – No Knots in Rope Ends Washington, Mt. Garfield, Infinite Bliss

On September 7, at 5 p.m., Ross Halverson and a partner completed Infinite Bliss, a 23-pitch 5.10c that climbs the south flank of Mt. Garfield, near North Bend. They texted a friend from the summit, took a few photos, then immediately headed back ...

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| Published 2014 | Author Mathew Denton


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Inadequate Belay, Inexperience Virginia, Richmond, Manchester Wall

On Sunday, November 30, I (Jake Jones) watched as a climber fell approximately 40 feet to the ground while leading. At the time I had just been lowered to the ground after climbing a different route. I happened to look to my right and saw a male c...

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| Published 2014 | Author Jake Jones


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Ice – Ascending Error, Darkness Vermont, Mt. Pisgah (Lake Willoughby), The Tablets

On December 27, 2013, at the base of the center Tablet at Lake Willoughby, my friend John (37) and I (32) congratulated ourselves after a 60-meter rappel to the ground, shortly after sunset. We had just finished our third two-pitch ice route that ...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Belayer Error Kentucky, Muir Valley, Tectonic Wall

During the early evening on Saturday, October 4, a female climber (20) was leading the sport route Plate Tectonics (5.9). When she was between the second and third bolt, about 26 feet off the ground, she fell. Neither the climber nor the belayer w...

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| Published 2014 | Author Rick Weber


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Climbing Unroped Utah, Zion National Park, Spearhead

On October 19, Christopher Spencer (47) of San Jose, California, was killed after falling from the approach to Iron Messiah (5.10+) on the Spearhead formation. Spencer and his partner were scrambling up the easy (low 5th class) but exposed buttres...

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| Published 2014


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Protection Pulled Out, Rockfall Utah, Glen Canyon Recreational Area, Lake Powell

On April 5, a 30-year-old male climber from Grand Junction, Colorado, began aid soloing up Gregory Butte, located near the mouth of Last Chance Bay, at 7 a.m. A little after 9 a.m., he was over 500 feet up the wall when a piece he had placed pulle...

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| Published 2014


Accident Reports ANAM
Rappel Error – Possible Equipment Failure Utah, Arches National Park, Tower of Babel

On September 23 a climber fell between 75 and 100 feet while rappelling Zenyatta Entrada (5.4 C3) on the Tower of Babel. NPS rangers responded to the scene and found the climber lying on the ground at the base of the route. His partner was still d...

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| Published 2014


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Inadequate Protection Utah, Bell's Canyon, Bell's Beast

On November 7, Michael Lydon (50) was killed after falling down nearly a full pitch of moderate terrain at the top of Beast (5.11a), a five-pitch climb on the Bell’s Beast formation. Lydon and his partner, Chris Wood (33), had first climbed Beauty...

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| Published 2014 | Author Justin Grisham


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Inadequate Belay South Dakota, Victoria Canyon, Foot Fist Way

Jimmy Burckhard, 31, was climbing the bolted route Foot Fist Way (5.13a) in a limestone canyon southwest of Rapid City on September 26. He had previously worked on the route a couple of weeks earlier. On this day he climbed partway up the route, y...

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| Published 2014