On June 2, the 14,200-foot ranger camp on Denali received a radio report from a guide at the 11,200-foot camp that Alex Chiu (41), a ski mountaineer, had fallen from the area of Squirrel Point (12,000 feet) toward the Peters Glacier and was missin...
On November 15, Adam and Sarah (not their real names) were visiting Joshua Tree for the first time and decided to climb Leave It to Beaver (5.12a), a classic overhanging trad route about 70 feet in length. Adam opted to lead the climb onsight. He ...
In November 2025, a climber fell and pulled several pieces before hitting the ground. The blue X marks where he fell and blue arrow shows the path of his fall. Photo: Mark Ritterpusch On November 10, I attempted Coarse and Buggy (5.11a/b) at ...
The East Buttress of Mt. Whitney is a classic alpine rock route to the highest point in the Lower 48. It was the scene of an off-route incident that contributed to one climber suffering a broken finger (red arrow marks where that happened). The ...
On November 11, Joseph Brambila (21) summited Mt. Whitney via the Main Trail and descended safely to Trail Crest (13,625 feet). It was his fifth attempt and first successful summit since June 2025. There he met Luis Buenrostro, a solo hiker and on...
Typical icy shoulder-season conditions on the 99 Switchbacks. In October 2025, such conditions caused the fatal fall of a 29-year-old climber, who fell from a steep section here. Photo: Brandon Riza On October 25, Paul Jonathan Ortiz Jr. (29)...
On June 14, I (Meghan Crowley, 40) and my partner Jim Smith (50) had an accident on Smegmathon (5 pitches, 5.10c). We came in from the top via three full rappels on a doubled 70m rope. Our plan was that Jim would lead all the pitches, and then we’...
On October 1, Balin Miller fell when he rappelled off the end of his rope near the top of Sea of Dreams (VI, A4+). The spot is marked with a red circle. Photo: Jarek Tuszynski On October 1, Balin Miller (23) fell 2,400 feet to his death while...
On September 7, my partner and I, both mid-30s, were climbing North Peak (12,242 feet) in the Hoover Wilderness outside Yosemite. We had completed the low-fifth-class Northeast Ridge and were scrambling up to the summit when I stepped on a piece o...
A climber on Rehab (5.11a) at Lover's Leap. Minutes later, she fell attempting to clip a bolt above her—a notoriously difficult clip. Her last protection was a Totem Cam at waist level, here hidden by her body. The red circle marks where she fel...
Castle Crags’ granite spires rise within sight of Mt. Shasta. The classic Cosmic Wall, first climbed by Chris Bonington’s party in 1979, roughly follows the sun-shade line on the twin-summited Ogre, right of center. Photo: Thomas Shahan On Se...
On August 16, a two-person party summited Mt. Shasta via Clear Creek, pushing from their Wintun Ridge camp at 10,500 feet despite a well-publicized incoming storm. The pair was unfamiliar with the terrain, lacked adequate wet-weather gear, and pre...
In September, a climber slipped and fell nearly 2,000 feet after getting off their route in poor visibility. Photo: Mt. Shasta Climbing Rangers On September 12 at approximately 3:45 p.m., USFS Climbing Rangers were notified of a slip-and-fall...
Avalanche Gulch in summer. In August, a climber fell several hundred feet while glissading down the steep snow near a row of cliffs known as the Red Banks (yellow oval). Photo: Mt. Shasta Climbing Rangers On August 10, a solo male climber los...
Mt. Shasta (14,179 feet) in February. The mountain rises nearly 10,000 feet above surrounding foothills and farms. No route should be underestimated. Photo: Bernie Ongewe The 2025 season on Mt. Shasta produced high activity, two fatalities, a...
“Old Bendy” was at the center of an accident in which a belayer was pulled by a falling leader into the end of his stick clip, breaking five ribs. Photo: Mark Hammond On February 22, Mark Hammond was belaying a partner on Hammered and Enamore...
In December 2025, photographer John Burcham fell and was struck by a falling rock. His helmet was destroyed but likely saved his life. Photo: The Burcham Family On December 10, John Burcham, a Flagstaff-based photographer and climber with mor...
The North Buttress of Mt. Hunter with the line of Deprivation marked in red and the location of the fall indicated with a yellow X. Photo: JD Merrit. On May 17, a party of two was climbing Deprivation on the North Buttress of Mt. Hunter when ...
Cold, altitude, and exertion conspire on Denali to produce frostbite even in prepared parties. Hypoxia impairs the judgment needed to recognize early symptoms before tissue damage is irreversible. Photo: Deve Weber On May 20, a guide service ...
On June 10, two NPS rangers on an acclimatization ski near the 14,200-foot camp witnessed a skier and a snowboarder get caught and carried by a size D2.5 soft slab avalanche that released from the Rescue Gully. One victim was partially buried and ...