On July 11 a climber had just untied from the rope after completing a climb. The climber stepped backward at the belay area and fell over a small cliff. (Source: Daniel Lack, RMRG.) Analysis Over the years, we have seen a number of the...
On July 18 a male leader (20) had climbed Uncle Fanny (one pitch, 5.7) on a 60-meter rope and was being lowered by his partner on the ground, so the rest of the group could top-rope the pitch. The belayer (male, 22) was looking up, helping the ...
During the early afternoon on March 24, Ira Lewis (33) climbed Malign (5.7), a one-pitch trad route on the Happy Hour Crag. After Lewis completed the climb, his partner on the ground began to lower him on their 60-meter rope. The belayer was no...
Lowering a climbing partner is among the most common situations leading to injuries and rescues reported in Accidents in North American Mountaineering, whether it’s lowering a climber after she tops out on a sport route or a partner in diff...
On April 25 a woman (25) fell 20 feet, landing on a ledge about 200 feet up from the base of the tower. She suffered rib, spine, and head injuries, and was flown by Life Flight Helicopter to Intermountain Healthcare in Murray, Utah. According t...
On June 3, an assistant guide (44) with American Alpine Institute radioed to NPS rangers at the 14,200-foot medical camp that he was descending from the fixed lines because he was not feeling well. He arrived at 5 p.m. in the company of Alpine...
On June 20 two experienced male climbers (32 and 39) from Japan were scrambling down the gully behind Sentinel Rock (the standard descent), after climbing the Steck-Salathé route (16 pitches, 5.10b). One warned the other of a possible loose sla...
On September 20, according to Unified Police Capt. Kris Ownby, two men (23 and 31) were rappelling down the Challenge Buttress, just across from Storm Mountain, about 8 p.m. One of them fell off the end of the rope, and both fell as a result be...
On June 17, a 51-year-old male French climber was rappelling one of the descent lines on the East Ledges of El Capitan. On the final rappel he fell 30 feet to the ground, injuring his ankle. Details are not clear because of the language barrier...
On May 24, Adam Kimmerly (32) and William Olszewski (51) set out to climb the Grand Giraffe (six pitches, 5.9+) on Redgarden Wall. William explains: We climbed the west face of Lower Ramp (5.2) to access Grand Giraffe Ledge and the start of our...
On July 3 around 8 a.m., two climbers visiting from Ohio made the approach to the base of Epinephrine, a 5.9, 15-pitch route located in Black Velvet Canyon. In addition to their climbing equipment, they had five liters of water. As the day ...
On February 10, a pair of experienced climbers were climbing Prerequisite for Excellence (5.8). The leader took a fall on a cam that was placed behind a block, dislodging the block (estimated to weigh approximately 200 pounds), which fell and h...
On June 6, Rick Barus (26) was leading pitch 16 of the West Face, just above Thanksgiving Ledge, when he took the left of two possible cracks. It turned out to be the wrong crack and it petered out. His partner was out of sight below, and they ...
On May 27, Alpine Ascents International (ALP) lead guide Sarah Carpenter of expedition Alp-3-Carpenter arranged to have a 68-year-old client looked after at the 14,200-foot camp by Alaska Mountaineering School lead guide Dan Corn, while the ALP...
On April 7 around 3 p.m., my partner and I had just finished Physical Graffiti and were at the base of the route and packing up to leave. I was watching two guys struggle on Big Bad Wolf (5.9). The climber was just about to clip what I be...
On June 4, Joe Ripperger (50) and Claire Epperson (25) climbed the East Buttress (11 pitches, 5.10c). The forecast for the day called for temperatures in the low 80s with a 15 to 30 percent chance of rain, so they started climbing at 6 a.m. The...
On November 28, Jeff Kish (30) soloed the South Side Route but was overcome by a storm during his descent. Unable to navigate in whiteout conditions at 10,600 feet, he called 911 on his cell phone and requested assistance. Despite the low visib...
On March 31 a male climber had led the fourth pitch of Rewritten (5.7) and was belaying his male partner up the pitch. The second was only about 10 feet from the top of the pitch when he slipped and fell. The lead climber lost control of his be...
Gary Morgan (52) had flown in from Michigan and was attempting a summit climb on June 21 by a South Side variation, the West Crater Rim. After losing his footing, he was unable to self-arrest with his hiking stick. The 300-foot slide resulted i...
On May 30, Mike Drake (22) was leading when his top aid piece failed on the upper half of the “Pancake Flake” (pitch 23, 5.10a C1), above the Great Roof. He fell about 25 feet, striking a couple of ledges; he attributes the long fall to having ...