Late on July 12, two male climbers were attempting to complete the second pitch of Cannibal Gully, a 5.7 trad climb on the left portion of the Black Wall. This climb is popular for new leaders due to the grade, but the rock quality is considered l...
In 2019 there were 16 climbing-related incidents on Mt. Shasta. Twelve accidents were due to falls on ice or snow, and four climbers attempting the summit became lost. This is the second year of above-average rescues on Mt. Shasta, and one acciden...
At approximately 10:30 a.m. on April 12, my brother-in-law, Stephen Whittingham, and I (Chris, 30) were at the top of the Standard Route (5.7) on Chimney Rock, preparing to descend. The rappel anchor was on the far east end of the summit, out of r...
On October 28, Zachary Dreher (23) had just passed the last bolt on Bluto Tastes an Olive (5.10a sport) when he fell. His belayer (female, 22) lost control of the belay, and Zachary took a 38-foot ground fall. The belayer was using an ATC-style de...
On May 5, a climber (24) took a 20-foot ground fall after attempting a fixed-line rappel to the base of a cliff at Paradise Forks. While it is not known what knot or block was being used at the anchor, rescuers report the climber attached her rapp...
Southeast buttress of Main Tower in the Mendenhall Towers. (1) Location of rappel anchor that failed. (2) Ledge where rappeller landed after anchor failure and eventually was rescued by helicopter. A party of three experienced climbers (male,...
Late in the evening on June 22, a team of five climbers began calling for help over the radio. This team had ascended to the Football Field at 19,500 feet on the West Buttress when one of their teammates became ill. The sick climber, a 67-year-old...
In mid-June, a team made up of a 30-year-old male and a 37-year-old male attempted to climb Denali’s West Buttress from Anchorage; they planned to run and hike to the mountain and then start climbing. Near the Hidden Glacier, south of the head of ...
On June 17, a guided 26-year-old female climber injured her right knee after slipping and falling on icy snow in the group’s kitchen tent. This climber had injured this knee previously, and an assessment by NPS medical providers confirmed her knee...
On June 14, a 51-year-old male climber and his two climbing partners left late in the afternoon for a summit attempt from 17,200-foot camp. When one of the climbers began to exhibit signs of severe altitude sickness, the group decided to separate,...
On June 10, a 28-year-old female climber suffering from high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) was evacuated by air from 14,200-foot camp. NPS rangers assessed and treated this patient until the helicopter was able to transport her to definitive car...
On May 29, a 64-year-old male climber left high camp on the West Buttress for Denali’s summit, climbing solo and carrying no food, water, or shelter. During his descent, he was rescued by a guided party and NPS personnel after falling repeatedly o...
On May 28, a 30-year-old male skier fell 700 meters after triggering an avalanche on Kahiltna Queen (a.k.a. Humble Peak). The patient and two companions (all very experienced ski mountaineers) had summited the 12,380-foot peak around noon by the w...
On May 25, a solo 36-year-old male climber was treated for severe frostbite injuries to his fingers and hands. This climber ascended and descended the Upper West Rib climbing route over approximately 22 hours. Upon returning to 14,200-foot camp, h...
On May 20, a 24-year-old male climber fell while skiing above 14,200-foot camp. The skier was assessed and treated for a suspected dislocated right hip by NPS rescuers and then transported in a rescue toboggan back to camp. After further assessmen...
On May 10, a 65-year-old male climber injured both knees (injury details unknown) during a fall at 15,200 feet on the West Buttress route. He was attempting to surmount the bergschrund at the base of the fixed lines on this steep section of the ro...
On May 8, a 42-year-old male climber fell while descending on a snowboard at Windy Corner (approximately 13,500 feet). The climber lost an edge while traversing, fell, and was unable to arrest his slide before dropping into a large open crevasse. ...
In early March, a team of two climbers (male, 48, and female, 36) returned to Kahiltna base camp at the conclusion of a winter expedition on the West Buttress. They had left a five-day cache of food at base camp, but when a large weather system mo...
Jebel Khazali is clearly visible 8km south of the village of Rum. It’s a vast mountain with climbing on all sides. In 2008, Xavier Giraudet and I started a route on the west face, but it was not until 2014 that I completed it with Rémi Laborde and...