In February, three people plunged to their deaths down icy chutes on Mt. San Antonio (a.k.a. Mt. Baldy) or nearby; two of these were attempting to hike to the top of the 10,069-foot mountain on the Devil’s Backbone Trail; a third person slipped an...
At approximately 6:30 p.m. on July 3, a two-person team began climbing the 15th pitch (5.4) of the 18- to 22-pitch route Sun Ribbon Arête (5.10a) on Temple Crag (12,999 feet). Just prior to arriving at the notch belay at the top of the pitch, the...
Around midday on August 12, a climbing party on Crescent Arch (5.10a) on Daff Dome reported that the 48-year-old, male leader had taken a 25-foot fall and sustained a dislocated shoulder and what appeared to be a broken ankle. It was reported that...
The names of the climbers in this report have been changed. On October 7, Mike and Dylan started up the South Face (5.8 C1) of Washington Column. The two had done a little climbing together, but never in Yosemite Valley and mostly on single-pitch ...
Christopher Vale and his partner Luke started climbing the west face of El Capitan around 7:30 a.m. on September 5. (The name of Vale’s climbing partner has been changed.) The two had met a few days earlier and climbed the Steck-Salathé on Sentin...
The names of the climbers in this report have been changed. On July 10, at 2:50 p.m., Yosemite Dispatch received a call regarding a climber fall with injuries at Reed’s Pinnacle. The initial reports came in as a male climber with a broken leg. Upo...
On April 16, at about 3 p.m., Yosemite Dispatch received a report of a climber who had taken a lead fall and was bleeding severely at Church Bowl. The climber (male, age 24) had pulled multiple pieces of protection from the Bishop’s Terrace route ...
At 9:30 a.m. on August 11, I (Ranger Forrest Coots) received a call from Siskiyou County Search and Rescue coordinator Mike Burns while patrolling the lower elevations of the south side of Mt. Shasta. Officer Burns stated that a 911 call had come ...
On July 25 at approximately 2:45 p.m., Bryan Bridgefs slipped and fell below Red Banks on the south side of Mt. Shasta. From his location at about 12,000 feet, Bridgefs called 911. Mike Burns from Siskiyou County Search and Rescue called climbing ...
On June 22, shortly after noon, a 44-year-old man fell off the summit pinnacle of Mt. Shasta and sustained multiple injuries. Shasta Mountain Guides owner/operator Chris Carr and local physician Dr. Sean Malee were on the scene and handled patient...
On June 11, a female climber was descending the Avalanche Gulch route. Once below the Red Banks, she attempted to glissade down snow toward Helen Lake. Somewhere near the Heart, her crampons caught in the snow or ice and she twisted or broke her a...
Toward the end of a full day of climbing, a group headed to the Slot Machine, a prominent feature of the Casino Cliffs in Jacks Canyon. One climber, Person 3, attempted Slots O Fun, a 5.10a limestone sport route, approximately 35 feet high, with f...
On March 26, a group from a University of Alaska Fairbanks introductory mountaineering class was out for its final climb. The class consisted of nine students (ages 20–28), one lead instructor, and three volunteer assistant instructors. After 11 w...
Three climbers flew to the Pika Glacier on July 16, spent a few days rock climbing in the Little Switzerland area, and began a traverse out of the mountains on July 19. The team had planned to return to Talkeetna on foot and by packraft. At approx...
On June 13, the six members of expedition “Extreme Travel” completed their orientation at the Talkeetna ranger station and flew to the Kahiltna Glacier to begin a West Buttress climb. The team moved to 17,200-foot camp on the eighth day of their t...
On June 16, a mountain guide radioed NPS mountaineering rangers from the upper West Buttress Route to say that one of his clients was exhibiting signs and symptoms of high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). The guided group was returning from a summ...
The four climbers of expedition “TEAM ECS’16” flew to Kahiltna base camp at 7,200 feet on May 31. Thirteen days later, on June 12, TEAM ECS’16 moved to 17,200-foot camp and then left for a summit attempt the following day. Throughout the day, this...
At 11:17 a.m. on May 25, a 49-year-old male and his 40-year-old male climbing partner contacted the mountaineering rangers at 14,200 feet via family radio service (FRS) to report that both individuals had deep frostbite injuries. The injured climb...
On April 17 the “Gonna Die!” expedition team flew to the Kahiltna Glacier for a planned 21-day ascent of the West Buttress climbing route. Expedition Gonna Die! was the first team of the 2016 season to reach the 14,200-foot camp and the only exped...
A climber departed Talkeetna on January 21 for a planned 65-day winter solo expedition on the west ridge of Mt. Hunter. At 7 a.m. on April 1, the Alaska Region Communication Center (ARCC) received an emergency notification and GPS coordinates from...