Accident Reports ANAM
Skiing Fall Washington, Liberty Ridge

In the afternoon of June 26, Matthew Bunker (28) was descending on skis when he fell on steep terrain around 10,400 feet, just below Thumb Rock, the high camp for the Liberty Ridge route. His partner reported Bunker missing at about 3 p.m. Climbin...

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| Published 2020 | Author Mr. Rainier National Park


Accident Reports ANAM
Various Rescues — Climber Falls and Rockfall Washington, Cascade Range, Mt. Stuart

On July 29, a 23-year-old woman was struck by rockfall near the top of the north ridge of Mt. Stuart and took a long fall as a result. She was seriously injured, with a head injury and fractured arm and leg. A Naval air rescue team tried to reach ...

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| Published 2020 | Author News reports and Chelan County Mountain Rescue


Accident Reports ANAM
Rockfall During Descent Washington, Morpheus Boulders

On March 21, with COVID-19 shutdowns and social-distancing guidelines in place, my housemate, Will, and I decided to avoid crowded Mt. Saint Helens and instead go search for unclimbed boulders near the established Morpheus area, south of Highway 2...

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| Published 2020 | Author Jamie Sookprasong


Accident Reports ANAM
Crevasse Fall — Climbing Unroped Washington, Glacier Peak Wilderness, Kololo Peaks

On September 5, Jake Robinson (26) and a partner were traversing below a rock wall near the head of the Suiattle Glacier on Kololo Peaks, at 8,000 feet in elevation. The climbers were unroped, and Jake suddenly plunged into a hidden hole and disap...

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| Published 2020 | Author Snohomish County Sheriff's Office and The Editors


Feature Article AAJ
Pushing Me ’Ard: The First Ascent of Captains Courageous Canada, Newfoundland, Gros Morne National Park

Casey Shaw in the elevator-shaft chimney of Captains Courageous during the 1999 first ascent of the longest ice climb in eastern North America, gaining over 2,000 feet in all. Photo by Joe Terravecchia “Feel free to get involved, Jimmy,” says...

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| Published 1999 | Author Casey Shaw


Accident Reports ANAM
Falling Ice — Running in Crampons to Escape Debris Washington, North Cascades National Park, Mt. Goode

On September 5, two experienced climbers (female, 32, and male, 36) were attempting to climb the Northeast Buttress of Mt. Goode. A little after 10 a.m., as they were trying to cross from the Goode Glacier onto the start of the rock route, a large...

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| Published 2020 | Author North Cascades National Park Mountaineering Rangers


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall On Rock — Unroped Scrambling Washington, North Cascades National Park, Forbidden Peak

On August 14, two climbers were attempting to reach the west ridge of Forbidden Peak via the Cat Scratch Gullies. The two had just switched over to rock shoes and started to travel up a gully unroped when one climber, a 24-year-old male, fell abou...

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| Published 2020 | Author The Editors


Accident Reports ANAM
Rappel Anchor Failure — Rock Horn Broke Washington, North Cascades National Park, Mt. Shuksan

On July 19, a party of three climbers was descending Mt. Shuksan after summiting via the Sulphide Glacier route. The party was rappelling the standard descent on Shuksan’s summit pyramid. They reached a flat ledge and found an existing anchor cons...

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| Published 2020 | Author North Cascades National Park Mountaineering Rangers


Accident Reports ANAM
Rockfall — Belayer Injured Washington, North Cascades National Park, Mt. Fury

On July 5, a party of three climbers was attempting a new route on Mt. Fury, a remote peak in the Picket Range. The lead climber accidentally caused some rockfall, which impacted the belayer in the head. Luckily, he was wearing a helmet, but his i...

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| Published 2020 | Author North Cascades National Park Mountaineering Rangers


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock While Wearing Crampons Washington, North Cascades National Park, Hozomeen Mountain

On July 4, a 46-year-old male climber attempted a solo climb of North Hozomeen Mountain. At 6:30 p.m., the climber was ascending 3rd- and 4th-class terrain in the south gully when he fell approximately 200 feet down 45-degree rock terrain, coming ...

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| Published 2020 | Author North Cascades National Park Mountaineering Rangers and King5.com interview


Accident Reports ANAM
Leader Fall And Head Impact Vermont, Upper West Bolton

At approximately 1 p.m. on May 28, a 20-year-old male was leading the sport climb Peachy Canoodle (5.9) at Upper West Bolton. My partner, Ben Mirkin, and I were climbing out of sight, but within earshot. The climber fell after clipping the third o...

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| Published 2020 | Author Kel Rossiter, IFMGA mountain guide


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Ice — Collapsed Ice Curtain Vermont, Bone Mountain

We were climbing at a remote location in the hills of Bolton, in search of new ice lines. Bone Mountain is an obscure cliff that takes about an hour and a half to reach in summer and about two hours of skinning in the winter. I was very familiar w...

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| Published 2020 | Author Anonymous Climber


Accident Reports ANAM
Lowering Error — Rope Too Short, No Stopper Knot Utah, Moab Area, Lower Dakota Crag

My climbing partner and I went to the Dakota Crags in the La Sal Mountains on October 21. It was a beautiful day for climbing, and we wanted to begin on some easy routes. We looked at the guidebook as well as a phone app to determine which routes ...

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| Published 2020 | Author Kimberly Kelly


Accident Reports ANAM
Stranded — incorrect Anchor, Stuck Rappel Ropes Utah, Castle Valley, Castleton Tower, West Face

Just after sunset on December 4, two male climbers (ages 32 and 36) called 911 to report they were stranded halfway down 400-foot Castleton Tower because their rappel ropes had become stuck. Starting near sunrise, the pair had climbed the Kor-Inga...

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| Published 2020 | Author The Climbers, Grand County SAR and the Editors


Accident Reports ANAM
Ground Fall Before First Bolt — Fatigue Utah, Moab Area, Potash Road, Mars Wall

On June 23, my friend and I went to Mars Wall to do a few after-work pitches. I had taught her how to lead belay and taken some short practice falls with her a few weeks earlier. I (female, 28) had not been climbing very much in the months leading...

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| Published 2020 | Author Kate Weigel


Accident Reports ANAM
Hit By Falling Ice Near Base Of Climb Utah, Wasatch Range, Provo Canyon

Around 10:30 a.m. on January 12, a group of three climbers arrived at the base of the Stairway to Heaven (WI5) in Provo Canyon. The first pitch of this long climb is about 190 feet long, with a ledge system that bisects the pitch a bit less than h...

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| Published 2020 | Author Derek DeBruin


Accident Reports ANAM
Fall on Rock – Dislodged Block, Inadequate Protection Utah, Wasatch Range, Pfeifferhorn, North Ridge

On November 6, my partner (male, 25) and I, John Sigmon (32), set out to attempt the north ridge of Pfeifferhorn before a storm came in and potentially snowed out the route. It was both of our first times on this climb, and we were aware of report...

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| Published 2020 | Author John Sigman


Accident Reports ANAM
Leader Falls — Cams Pulled Out Utah, Wasatch Range, Little Cottonwood Canyon

Salt Lake County Search and Rescue (SLCOSAR) was called out in the afternoon of October 19 for an injured climber in Little Cottonwood Canyon. The very experienced climber (male, 59) had been leading the first pitch of Crescent Crack (5.7 trad) wh...

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| Published 2020 | Author Salt Lake County Search and Rescue and climber account


Accident Reports ANAM
Belayer Hit By Rockfall — Saved By Borrowed Helmet Utah, Wasatch Range, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Hellgate Cliffs

On August 7, Avery Guest (female, 20) was climbing with her partner for the day, Jake Bowles (21), at Hellgate Cliffs, a limestone area high in Little Cottonwood. It was Avery’s second time climbing/belaying outdoors. Jake is an experienced climbe...

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| Published 2020 | Author Avery Guest


Accident Reports ANAM
Stranded — Unable to Pull Ropes Utah, Wasatch Range, Big Cottonwood Canyon

Salt Lake County Search and Rescue was called out at 12:30 a.m. on July 16 for a pair of climbers (father and son) who had been stranded while trying to descend from a multi-pitch route near Steort’s Ridge. Their rappel rope had gotten stuck, and ...

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| Published 2020 | Author Salt Lake County Search and Rescue and and Rescue