Accident Reports ANAM
Rockfall In Descent Gully Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park, Disappointment Peak

At approximately 3:30 p.m. on June 28, an experienced climber (male, age 68) was struck by a rolling rock while scrambling down a descent gully after a climb of the Open Book (5.9+), a popular multi-pitch route above Garnet Canyon. The rock hit th...

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| Published 2018 | Author NPS Search and Rescue Report


Accident Reports ANAM
Fatal Fall On Snow – Failure to Control Glissade Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park, Teewinot Mountain

At approximately 7:45 a.m. on June 25, an individual was reported overdue from a solo climb up the east face of Teewinot Mountain. The overdue climber, a 27-year-old male, had posted a video onto social media from the summit around 4:30 the previo...

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| Published 2018 | Author NPS Search and Rescue Report


Accident Reports ANAM
Stranded – Off-Route, Inadequate Protection, Darkness Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park, Teewinot Mountain

On June 16, at 11:23 p.m., Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received a call from an uninjured father (33) and son (13) in the vicinity of the southwest couloir of Teewinot, at roughly 11,000 feet. They reported leaving the trailhead that morning ...

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| Published 2018 | Author NPS Search and Rescue Report


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall During Descent – Inexperience, Inadequate Gear Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park, Symmetry Spire

On June 12, at about 9:30 p.m., rescue coordinator George Montopoli received a call about an accident in the descent gully (southwest couloir) on Symmetry Spire. The caller informed Montopoli that he and his climbing partner had left the valley at...

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| Published 2018 | Author NPS Search and Rescue Report


Accident Reports ANAM
Fatal Ground Fall – Protection Pulled Wisconsin, Devil's Lake State Park, East Bluff, Pedestal Buttress

On March 28 at approximately 3:45 p.m., Savannah Buik, 22, fell while leading Birch Tree Crack, a 5.8 climb on the Pedestal Buttress. A witness said she fell approximately 20 feet from the crux of the climb to the ground, landing on her back on ro...

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| Published 2018 | Author Eyewitness and Published Reports


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall On Rock – Protection Pulled, Inadequate Protection West Virginia, Seneca Rocks, Southern Pillar

In the early afternoon of November 4, a male climber (age unknown) was leading the route Climbin’ Punishment (5.8+). The climber fell when he was approximately 75 feet up the route, while negotiating the second of two overhanging steps. His highes...

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| Published 2018 | Author Adam Happensack


Feature Article ANAM
Essentials: Wound Management From Gobies to Serious Lacerations

THOUGH OFTEN not reported due to their relatively minor nature, the most common injury for climbing and other outdoor pursuits is wounds such as abrasions, lacerations, and, to a lesser extent, puncture wounds. Such injuries may come from leader f...

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| Published 2018 | Author R. Bryan Simon


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall On Rock – Loose Rock, Inadequate Protection West Virginia, Seneca Rocks, Church Rocks

On October 7, Adam and Amber (both 26) were at a rock formation called Church Rocks, an infrequently climbed area near Seneca Rocks. After completing a route to the top of the formation, the climbers decided to rappel from a different location in ...

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| Published 2018 | Author Adam Happensack


Accident Reports ANAM
Ground Fall – Broken Hold, Inadequate Protection West Virginia, Seneca Rocks, Green Wall

On April 14, Tom H. (44) and Chris C. (35) were climbing at Seneca Rocks for their first outing of the season. It was Tom’s first trip to Seneca. They started with Pleasant Overhangs (5.7) on the Green Wall, and at 7:30 a.m., after scrambling up t...

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| Published 2018 | Author Tom H.


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall On Rock – Broken Hold, Inadequate Protection Washington, North Cascades, Concord Tower

Shortly before 10:30 a.m. on August 28, Benjamin G. Antonio (67) was climbing on the north side of Concord Tower, near Washington Pass, when a handhold broke and Antonio fell. He swung about 45 feet and hit the wall feet first. His partner lowered...

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| Published 2018 | Author Chelan County Sheriff's Office


Accident Reports ANAM
Rappel Anchor Failure – inadequate Anchor and Backup Washington, Mt. Rainier National Park, Dewey Peak

On August 14, three climbers summited Dewey Peak, a 6,710-foot mountain on the east side of Mt. Rainier National Park with a third- or fourth-class route to the top. The climbers had met earlier that year in a local climbing course, in which Climb...

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| Published 2018 | Author Tacoma Mountain Rescue


Accident Reports ANAM
Fatal Slip During Descent – No Helmet Washington, North Cascades, Washington Peak

About 3:50 p.m. on August 4, climbers used an inReach device to notify the North Cascades Communication Center that a man had fallen while descending Forbidden Peak (8,816 feet) and was in need of help. The man was later identified as Eric Lindblo...

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| Published 2018 | Author North Cascaes National Park Incident Reports


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall On Rock – Inadequate Protection and Anchor Washington, North Cascades, Washington Pass, Le Petit Cheval

On July 14, Alexis and I scrambled to the base of Spontaneity Arête (multi-pitch 5.7) on Le Petit Cheval. There were no photos on Mountain Project of the first pitch, so we weren’t sure exactly where the route started. We scrambled up to a ledge b...

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| Published 2018 | Author Andrew Leader


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall On Rock – Broken Hold, Inadequate Protection Washington, Mt. Thomson, West Ridge

On July 14, King County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue was notified that Peter Keckemet (24) had fallen about 100 feet on the west ridge of Mt. Thomson and possibly had broken bones. A helicopter crew was able to pick up Peter and take him to Harborv...

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| Published 2018 | Author King County Sheriff's Department


Accident Reports ANAM
Fatal Fall On Snow – Fatigue, Failure to Self-Arrest Washington, Cascades, Mt. Stuart, Cascadian Couloir

About 11:50 a.m. on June 24, a climber called 911 to report that his partner (Varun Sadavarte, 32) had fallen several hundred feet on Mt. Stuart and couldn’t be reached. Sadavarte and Owen Thomas (37) were friends who had taken a mountaineering co...

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| Published 2018 | Author Chelan County Sheriff's Department


Accident Reports ANAM
Belay Error – Rope Burns Washington, Vantage, Frenchman Coulee

On June 12, Climber 1 planned a day of instruction and climbing at Frenchman Coulee for his friend, Climber 2, who had no experience climbing outside. Following instruction on knots, equipment, and belay techniques, Climber 1 provided on-the-spot ...

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| Published 2018 | Author Anonymous Report


Climbs And Expeditions AAJ
North Twin, Full North Ridge Canada, Alberta, Canadian Rockies, Icefields Parkway

ANYONE WHO WALKS over Woolley Shoulder—the pass that accesses the big mountains of what Bow Valley locals call the Black Hole—is rewarded with a fine view. To the north is Mt. Alberta, and to the south Stutfield Peak. But the climber’s eye is dr...

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| Published 2019 | Author Ian Welsted


Accident Reports ANAM
Fatal Fall On Snow – Party Separated, Possible Avalanche Washington, Mt. Adams, South Spur

On May 27, about 12:30 p.m., a call came in to the Yakima County Sheriff’s Department that a climber (Alexander Edward, 28) had fallen from around 11,000 feet on the south side of Mt. Adams. His two partners were ahead of the climber and did not s...

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| Published 2018 | Author The Editors


Accident Reports ANAM
Lowering Error – Miscommunication Virginia, Richmond Area

On January 6, after a prolonged cold spell, my climbing partner (36) and I (33) checked to see if a small cliff that continuously seeps water had frozen into something climbable. We found a 30-foot wall of poorly bonded ice, with a free-hanging pi...

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| Published 2018 | Author Rick DeJarnette


Accident Reports ANAM
Lowering Error – Rope Too Short, No Stopper Knot Virginia, Elizabeth Furnace, Buzzard Rocks

My partner and I were climbing at the Buzzard Rocks crag, a series of slabs at the top of a ridge. A hiking trail goes to the top and climbers have to either rappel or hike down a climber’s trail to reach the base of the wall. As we were setting u...

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| Published 2018