Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Not Attached to Belay Anchors Kentucky, Red River Gorge, Muir Valley

On March 19 a man (27) was standing on a belay ledge at the Sunnyside Wall when he stepped back too far and fell off the ledge. He impacted the ground about 15 feet below and sustained a back injury. Muir Valley Rescue responded and litter-carr...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Inadequate Protection California, Joshua Tree National Park, Intersection Rock

In October I was leading the Left Ski Track (5.11a) on Intersection Rock and suffered a ground fall from about 20 feet up. I landed in a patch of dirt that is about two feet by three feet. All around the spot where I landed are sharp rocks that ...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Rappel Error--Ropes Uneven Utah, No Man's Canyon

It was with special interest that I obtained the 2012 edition of Accidents in North American Mountaineering, because the “Know the Ropes” section focuses on rappelling. My brother, Louis Cicotello (70), did not survive a fall while on rappel at...

| Keywords
| Published 2011


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Inadequate Belay Idaho, City of Rocks National Reserve, Breadloaves

At 2:50 p.m. on July 7, climbing ranger Brad Shilling was flagged down by a park visitor who reported there had been a climbing accident and that the climber had a head injury. The visitor pointed to the descent route from the climb Intruding D...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock - Tripped over Fixed Line California, San Jacinto Wilderness, Idyllwild, Suicide Rock

On July 24, Karen Gose (27) died of injuries sustained while demonstrating climbing and rappelling techniques on the face of Suicide Rock. Gose, a counselor with a Girl Scout troop, fell 30 feet onto a rock ledge during a rappelling demonstrati...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Loose Rock Colorado, Maroon Bells, North Maroon Peak

On September 17, Derek Kelley (34) fell more than 600 feet to his death while climbing North Maroon Peak (14,014 feet). According to reports, Kelley was about 300 feet from the summit when he fell after a boulder came loose. Rescue personnel be...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Feature Article ANAM
Fall on Rock - Rock came Loose California, Pinnacles National Monument, Discovery Wall

On April 23, Al Shaver is leading and I (Steve Nechodom) am following on Lost Horizons (5.8). Both of us are in our 50s, with half a life of climbing experience apiece. We have been trad partners for six years. About 3 p.m., I am going to the r...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Off-Route, Unable to Clip Protection New Hampshire, Rumney, 5.8 Crag

On May 18 a Dartmouth Outing Club excursion to Rumney included nine climbers. When they arrived, they split into teams and went to their selected climbs, having agreed to meet back at the van in early evening. Lynn (20s) had been climbing with...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Slip on Rock, Protection Pulled Out Colorado, Front Range, Mt. Bancroft

Alexander Lee, left Boulder around 6 a.m., planning to climb the mostly fourth class Direct East Ridge (II 5.4) of Mt. Bancroft (13,250 feet) in the James Peak Wilderness Area. According to Hermans, “The day was overcast and we had a few big gu...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Climbing Alone California, Matterhorn Peak, Sawtooth Ridge

Early in the morning on Saturday, June 30, Michael Ybarra (45) set out by himself to traverse the Sawtooth Ridge, according to his sister and Alex Few, a friend. He was scheduled to return from his climb by Sunday evening at the latest. After h...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Avalanche - Fall into Crevasse, Poor Position, Weather Alaska, Denali National Park, Mt. McKinley, West Buttress

On June 13, a five-member Japanese expedition, “Miyagi Workers Alpine Federation–MWAF-2012 Denali,” was involved in an avalanche while descending the West Buttress of Denali. At an unknown time during the early morning, the expedition triggered ...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Inadequate Belay California, Squaw Valley, Big Chief Access Road

On June 9, Eric Johnson (23) of Reno fell approximately 40 feet off one of the area’s popular climbing routes, breaking both heels and a vertebra. He fell after his climbing partner failed to secure an adequate belay. (Source: Sierra Sun, June ...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Climbing Unroped, Rock Breaks Colorado, Clear Creek Canyon, Cat Slab

On May 25, T.J. Brumme (25) was photographing friends climbing in the Cat Slab area of Clear Creek Canyon. He soloed up the far right section of Cat Slab and clipped into the second bolt on a route to take photos. Once finished, he unclipped an...

| Keywords
| Published 2012 | Author T.J. Brumme


Accident Reports ANAM
Slip on Ice, No Crampons, Probably Fatigue New Hampshire, Mt. Adams

On January 10, Gregory Frux (53) and Matt Burd (52), who had climbed Mt. Tripyramid North Peak the previous day, were joined by Nick Jaques (52) for a mountaineering adventure. They ascended the Lowes Path for 3,000 vertical feet to the Grey K...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Stranded - Inattention California, Yosemite Valley, Cookie Cliff

On December 20, I (Zach, 28) spent the day rope-soloing at Cookie Cliff. As the sun was getting low, I decided to use the rope on Outer Limits to solo Crack- A-Go-Go, a 5.11c crack to the left. I got up the route and clipped my daisies to the a...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock, Not Secured to Cliff Top Colorado, Boulder Canyon, Boulderado

On September 2, Treff Owen Carpenter (28) fell 70 feet to his death while setting up a top-rope climb on the Boulderado crag, located in Boulder Canyon. He was a member of a climbing group of eight, and the most experienced climber in the grou...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Rappel Error, Stranded - Off Route, Unable to Reascend Rappel Rope, Inexperience California, Yosemite Valley, The Nose

On August 4, Richard (18) and Chris (19) attempted to rappel the established Nose rappel route (20+ rappels) from the summit of El Capitan. They felt they weren’t ready to climb El Cap, but after seeking advice on Supertopo.com they had decided...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Avalance, Poor Position, Weather New Hampshire, Mt. Washington, Huntington Ravine

On January 5 a party of two was climbing Central Gully when the leader was hit with a naturally triggered sluff avalanche. During the resulting fall, one of the climbers fractured his ankle. Much of the information below was gathered from a na...

| Keywords
| Published N/A


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock - Rigging Error California, Yosemite Valley, El Capitan, Salathe Wall

On July 28, Ginnie (32) and Carl (23) were practicing aid climbing on the 165- foot first pitch of the Salathé Wall. They had recently climbed some of the Valley’s long 5.11 classics, including Free Blast, the Rostrum, the Regular Northwest Fac...

| Keywords
| Published 2012


Accident Reports ANAM
Avalanche, Weather, Poor Position Alaska, Denali National Park, Mt. McKinley, West Buttress

On June 12, a four-person rope team triggered an avalanche and was swept a short distance while traveling just below the fixed-lines area on Denali’s West Buttress, at the 15,400-foot level. Three of the victims (ages 23, 30, and 32) were memb...

| Keywords
| Published 2012