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...
On May 10 four members of the Romanian team “Explorer Denali 2014” flew to the Kahiltna base camp to begin their climb. Over the following 13 days they progressed at an average rate up the West Buttress Route.On May 23 three of the team members ma...
Sylvia Montag, 39, fell to her death on May 5 while attempting to descend from Denali Pass (18,200 feet) to the 17,200-foot high camp on the West Buttress Route. Montag had separated from her partner, Meik Fuchs, as they descended from Denali Pass...
Have you ever agreed to climb with new partners but wondered whether their safety skills were adequate? Have you taken a climbing class but wondered about the instructor’s qualifications?At the American Alpine Club, we believe that climbers in the...
Longtime readers will notice subtle but important changes to this year’s edition of Accidents, especially an increase in photos and diagrams. Our goal is not simply to dress up these pages but more to provide instructional information and visual c...
For the first route of our first day of climbing in Squamish, my climbing partner and I started up Calculus Direct, a 5.9 variation start to Calculus Crack on the Apron. I led the first pitch (5.9) with ease, built an anchor, and brought up my sec...
From July 6 to July 12, Gabe Messercola and I completed the first known traverse from Mt. Silverthrone to Mt. Brooks, including the three Pyramid peaks (a.k.a. Tripyramid). We climbed the chain of peaks from south to north, and the traverse inclu...
Vern Nelson Jr. and I climbed a new route on Argonaut Peak (8,451’), just east of Mt. Stuart, on April 26. Our route starts in a major left-facing corner system on the sheer north-facing wall between the northeast buttress and the northwest arête....
Mt. Silliman (11,188’) is a popular summit for peak baggers in Sequoia National Park. This is for good reason: It has a commanding view, is accessible as a day hike, and is on the Sierra Peaks Section list. In addition to its easier scrambles, the...