Accident Reports ANAM
Falling Rock - Fall on Rock, Not Anchored Washington, North Cascades National Park, Forbidden Peak

The body of Tyler Barton (31) from Seattle was recovered in North Cascades National Park on Sunday, September 15, by park rangers, supported by a contracted helicopter from HiLine Helicopters of Darrington. Barton and his partner had summited Forb...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Stranded, Exceeding Abilities Washington, North Cascades National Park, Black Peak

On July 28 a party of four from the Seattle area attempted the northeast ridge of Black Peak (8,970 feet). The climbers split into two rope teams, but quickly found that the first rope team was ascending at a faster pace. The first rope party summ...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Inadequate Protection - Rappel Anchor Washington, North Cascades National Park, Mt. Goode, Southwest Couloir

On July 6 two experienced climbers summited Mt. Goode (9,200 feet) via the northeast buttress. They started their descent via the southwest couloir, a standard descent route. At 8,400 feet, one climber fell when the rappel anchor failed. He suffer...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall into Crevasse, Fatigue Mt. Rainier, Emmons Glacier

On September 1 at 4 a.m., the park received an emergency cell phone call from a team of climbers on the north side of the mountain. They reported that another climbing team, consisting of Canadian climbers Andrei M. Pipas (leader, 31), John Spence...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow, Fall into Crevasse - Fatigue, Unable to Self Arrest Washington, Mt. Rainier, Emmons Glacier

A group of three climbers was ascending Mt. Rainier along with our group on August 31. At midnight we left Camp Schurman to ascend the Emmons Glacier. A third of the way up, our rope teams split. We assumed the second party had turned around, as t...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Weather - Overdue Washington, Mt. Rainier, Emmons/Winthrop

On August 25 a private party of five climbers led by Marcos Franco (23) attempted to summit Mt. Rainier via the Emmons/Winthrop route. While descending from the summit, they experienced high winds and low visibility and decided to shelter in place...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Seizures - Complications from HACE, Pre-Existing Condition Washington, Mt. Rainier, Disappointment Cleaver

On August 17 at 5:30 a.m., an RMI guide (Dave Hahn) called Enumclaw dispatch and reported that he was guiding a 19-year-old client who had gone into seizures at the top of Disappointment Cleaver. The patient was short-hauled and then transferred t...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow (Crevasse Jump), Exceeding Abilities Washington, Mt. Rainier, Emmons/Winthrop

On July 21 at 1:30 p.m., mountain guide Chris Watson reported an injured climber via 911. Watson, who was with another guide, reported that Rody Senner (31) had jumped over a crevasse at 11,300 feet on the Emmons/Winthrop route. She sustained a po...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow - Ski Mountaineering Washington, Mt. Rainier, Emmons/Winthrop

On July 7 a nine-person ski-mountaineering party from Canada summited Rainier via the Emmons/Winthrop Glaciers route. On the descent, one member of the team (47) fell while skiing and sustained multiple traumatic injuries. He landed in what’s know...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Weather - Benighted, Exceeding Abilities Washington, Mt. Rainier, Liberty Ridge

On June 23, climber Patrick Moore (52) dialed 911 from his satellite phone around 5 p.m. Patrick and his partner, Peter Roach (mid-40s), had climbed Liberty Ridge in deteriorating weather. The ascent took them longer than planned, and incoming wea...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Inadequate Equipment - No Sunglasses, Snow Blindness Washington, Mt. Rainier, Camp Muir

On June 8, a little before 7 a.m., rangers at Camp Muir received notification of a 32-year-old female climber from New York City having difficulty opening her eyes due to pain and swelling. Rangers assessed the individual and determined her eye pr...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Avalanche, Fall on Snow/Ice - Inadequate Equipment, Inadequate Protection, Weather, Exceeding Abilities Washington, Mt. Rainier, Liberty Ridge

On the morning of May 18, we (Cory Smith, 26, author of this report; Sydney Seyfart, 30; and Tim Smith, 23) were at about 13,000 feet on Liberty Ridge, just above the Black Pyramid. We were 1,100 feet below the summit of Liberty Cap and the end of...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock Utah, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Wheels of Fire Direct

On August 2 an experienced climber, David Buckland (46), was out with his son when he took a fall on Wheels on Fire Direct (5.10) in Little Cottonwood Canyon, a route he had done many times before. He pulled a piece on the way down, got flipped by...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock - Fatigue, Inadequate Protection, Exceeding Abilities Utah, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Beckey's Wall

My daughter Alex (27) had demonstrated very good climbing and protection skills the previous summer when she took me up a two-pitch, 5.7 trad route. Now it was May 11, and neither she nor I had climbed much since. Since she is young and strong (an...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Protection Pulled Out, Compromised Rope-Carrying Carabiner Tennessee, Sunset Rock, Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park

On the afternoon of June 30 the park received a report of a serious fall and injury to a male climber (30) approximately one mile from Sunset Rock in the Celebrity Flake area on Lookout Mountain. The climber, who was wearing a helmet, fell approxi...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Rappel Error Oregon, Smith Rock State Park, Wherever I May Roam

On May 11 at 5:15 p.m., Deschutes County 911 received a call from Ryan Orr (29) reporting that his climbing partner, Kathy Pawelski (34), had sustained injuries after falling on Wherever I May Roam (5.9). Orr said that Pawelski had fallen about 30...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall into Crevasse - Snow Bridge Collapsed, Climbing Unroped Oregon, Mt. Jefferson, Whitewater Glacier

Our team—Craig Hanneman (64), Mark Morford (56), Bob Alexander (56), and Jim Walkley (40)—was traversing the Whitewater Glacier at about 1 p.m. on July 20, after successfully summiting via the Jefferson Park Glacier route. We were traveling unrope...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow Oregon, Mt. Hood, Hogsback

On November 25, John Andrews (62) fell more than 200 feet into a “crater” (sic) near the Hogsback area, along the south-side route. Andrews’ climbing partner used a cell phone to call 911, then remained in contact with the Clackamas County Sheriff...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow, Climbing Alone, Exceeding Abilities Oregon, Mt. Hood, Cooper Spur

On August 11, Sebastian Kinasiewicz (32), a Polish military officer reported to be a novice climber, attempted a summit climb via the Cooper Spur route. He was reported overdue. Hood River Crag Rat volunteers were able to find and follow his track...

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| Published 2013


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Snow, Climbing Alone Oregon, Mt. Hood, West Side

On June 22, Kinley Adams (59), an experienced climber, registered to climb Leuthold’s Couloir. It appears that he got off route, crossed the Yocum Ridge, and continued to the upper headwall section of the Sandy Glacier. Apparently he slipped or wa...

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| Published 2013