In April, Owen Lunz and I made a five-day journey through the Great West Canyon region of Zion National Park—what you might call ultralight backpacking with a big-wall rack. Along the way we made the first ascents of three technical summits surrou...
Along with a rope, protection is the most essential part of the climbing system. A bolt and quickdraw, a cam or nut—these are the things that keep climbers from taking dangerous ledge falls or hitting the ground. While not the most common cause ...
The following accident occurred on April 9 while climbing at an undeveloped area on Grapevine Road in the Lucerne Valley. Person 1 (37 years old, 25 years of climbing experience) had intentions of establishing a new route on one of the Joshua Tree...
On July 13, I visited Tahquitz Rock with partner Brian (31) after a few-year hiatus from climbing. I decided to get us started by heading up the Trough (4 pitches, 5.4), a climb well within my ability level. On the first pitch I placed gear every ...
On August 6 the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a hiker who reported an abandoned campsite near Third Lake. Deputies learned the camp belonged to Brenton Wright (27), who had been in the Sierra for one month, solo climbing various cl...
On March 8, Ryan Ellis (23), Kristen Elford (27), Charles Celerier (22), and Ken Langley (26) set out to climb the Snake Dike route (8 pitches, 5.7) on Half Dome, intending to take the cable descent from the summit. The climbers were new to multi-...
On May 30 a climber took a large pendulum fall while attempting the King Swing (a 100-foot pendulum from Boot Flake to Eagle Ledge) on the Nose route (VI 5.9 C2) of El Capitan. During the pendulum, the climber failed to gain holds allowing him to ...
On July 17, brothers Bruce Porter (58) and Bob Porter (61) attempted the north ridge (III 5.7) of Mt. Conness (12,600’). After a thunderstorm forced a retreat, they chose a longer, more difficult route back to the trailhead, resulting in a bivy at...
It’s 10 a.m. on August 13 on Lembert Dome. Clank, clank, clunk. A yellow object shoots down the cliff. Jeff Los and I (both 23) start to chuckle at the thought of Curtis Burrowes (24) having to buy another number 2 Camalot. But laughter soon turns...
On July 29 a male climber (58) was descending the Wintun Route when he was hit by rockfall at 11,700 feet. The climber fractured his femur and arm. There was also bruising to his hip. Nick Meyers was notified at about 4:30 p.m. A California Highwa...
On May 25 a female climber (58) was ascending Avalanche Gulch via the Heart at roughly 12,000 feet, just below the Red Banks, when she fell and lost control of her ice axe. She was then unable to arrest her fall and was stopped/tackled by an indep...
On May 17 a female climber (mid-40s) summited Shasta by the Red Banks/Avalanche Gulch route at roughly 12:15 p.m. She rested on the summit and descended as clouds began to move in, following tracks down the Clear Creek route, where she made contac...
On the morning of January 1, three climbers (one male and two female, all in their early 20s) were ascending Avalanche Gulch. At 11,500 feet they suffered varying injuries from a natural rockfall event. They called 911 around 9:30 a.m. With head a...
Click the PDF link below to view the complete Statistical Tables from Accidents 2015. These data sets include reported accidents through 2014.
Tom Mullier on the mid-height break at Boulder Ruckle. The 67-pitch route Wonderland extends as far as the eye can see. Scott didn’t look happy. I think the damp and the gray skies must have got to him. He’d b...
Frostbite is localized freezing of tissue that results in a range of signs, symptoms, and outcomes for alpinists. The areas farthest from the body core (fingers, toes, ears, nose, and genitals) are most commonly affected. Early recognition and s...
On June 29, Alpine Ascents International (ALP)-9 was descending the fixed ropes after a stay at the 17,200-foot camp. Toward the bottom of the fixed lines, at about 15,400 feet, one of the clients took a short twisting fall and heard a “click” in ...
While waiting for stable weather to attempt a difficult route on Denali’s south side, members of the New Zealand Alpine Team and friends climbed the West Buttress Direct, above Windy Corner, on June 13. The climbers had split into separate rope te...
On June 15, three European climbers from separate teams suffered varying degrees of frostbite, exposure, and minor injuries from falls while descending the upper mountain in poor weather.At 12:30 a.m., climber Steve House contacted the NPS patrol ...
On May 12 eight members of the military climbing team “U.S.M.C. Mtn. Warfare Training Center” flew to the Kahiltna Glacier to begin their climb. Over the following 12 days they progressed at an average rate up the West Buttress Route. On May 23, f...