Around 8:30 a.m. on July 12, one scrambler in a group of five dislocated his shoulder while climbing on Tick Ridge on Mt. Crandell. The climber did not fall and was able to reverse his moves onto lower-angle terrain, but was in a great deal of ...
This was my first year as chair after the untimely demise of the previous chair, Chris Pruchnic, in a climbing accident in Rocky Mountain National Park. Although the time and commitment of this position sometimes seem daunting, the rewards—tangi...
This incident occurred on September 18. While climbing the Directissima Route on Yamnuska, the leader pulled off a large block, hitting the belayer. The belayer was knocked unconscious for 20 to 25 seconds before becoming responsive. He was ble...
I was guiding a group at Gumbies on April 14 when a woman came up from the gully that leads down to Two Pitch Wall to tell me that Chris Bernick (37) had taken a long fall on Secret Service (5.10+)/Double Naught Spy (5.9 R), rendering him uncon...
Maria Millard (28) was climbing with friends Sigrid Coffin and John Cronin. Moments before she was going to rappel from the top of a climb, her partners recalled her saying, “I’m off belay, I’m safe.” She then fell an estimated 65 feet. Julie L...
On July 2, a party of two was off route near the fifth pitch of Bottleneck on Yamnuska. A foot slipped and the leader fell 15 to 20 meters. All of the lead gear held and stopped the fall. However, one of the party’s double ropes sustained damag...
Utah, the home of many world-class and historically important climbing areas, has finally seceded from the Northern Rockies Section and become, drumroll please, the Utah Section. In 2012 our efforts focused on conservation. On August 18 and 19,...
On July 8 a party of two was ascending the Northeast Ridge (5.6) of Ha Ling Peak. The leader climbed off route and subsequently fell 10 meters, pulling a cam in the process. Kananaskis Public Safety rescuers slung the climbers from the face and...
In our inaugural year as an independent section, we worked with Regional Coordinator Jeff Deikis to achieve a solid start. We initiated a series of communications with club members and created a Facebook presence, and on March 31 AAC members jo...
On September 9 two experienced climbers decided to turn around before making the summit of Mt. Victoria. On their descent, the female member of the climbing team fell and slid down the northeast face for approximately 45 meters. She miraculousl...
We had four main events in 2012 and also met frequently at Cal Tech for programs such as the Reel Rock Film Festival and the Banff Film Festival tours, sponsored by the Cal Tech Alpine Club. On March 23 the section participated in a service pro...
Rangers rescued two people seriously injured in separate falling accidents in early June. The first one (not a climbing accident), on June 8, involved a 19-year old Massachusetts man who was jumping around on the rocks near the summit of Acadia...
On February 25, I (Mike Best, no age given) arrived at Rumbling Bald around 7:50 a.m. to meet John, my partner for the day. We started with Comatose (5.8), followed by an unnamed sport climb (5.9). After completing both climbs we elected to do...
On August 11 two climbers were making an attempt on the East Ridge of Mt. Temple. As the lead climber was nearing the top of the Big Step, he fell approximately three to five meters and broke his right ankle. His partner took over the lead, and...
As a part of a climbing camp set up in Icefall Brook, a party of six was traversing Division Peak near the Lyell Icefields on August 5. While descending the final peak, a member of the party was hit by rockfall on the arm and sustained a compou...
Ankle injuries were the most common reported in Muir Valley in 2012. There were six that Muir Valley Rescue volunteers responded to. Climbers were treated, transported to their cars, and directed to medical care. Many ankle injuries in this are...
On September 9, Dennis (27) and TJ (25) were trad climbing Armbuster (5.9), located in the Bird’s Nest area of Great Falls. Leading the route, TJ fell at the crux a few feet above his top piece of protection. This top piece, a nut that had he...
In 2012 the section pulled off another full slate of “Climb-munity” gatherings, which continue to be popular and well attended. These included a January ice-climbing weekend in Cold Stream Canyon, near Truckee; a May rock-climbing weekend at Pin...
A climber left Calgary on the morning of August 4, telling his wife that he was going to Castle Mountain. He did not return home that evening. Banff Dispatch was contacted the following morning by a friend of the missing climber. The friend rep...
On October 26 a man (45) with significant rock climbing and paramedic rescue experience fell from a height of about 30 feet, sustaining serious injuries. “I can’t tell you how embarrassing it is to have had such an accident,” the man reported. ...