FALL ON ROCK, FAILURE OF PROTECTION

New York, Shawangunks

A woman (32) received head lacerations when she fell 15 meters off of Belly Roll. Her protection pulled as she fell. (Source: Brad Snyder)

Analysis

We don’t know whether pitons or nuts were used for protection or whether the climber wore a helmet. It is worth observing that eleven out of sixteen accidents in the Shawangunks this year involved either placing no protection or protection pulling out. One can speculate that this has to do with the nature of the climbing area itself. There are lots of climbers around, the base of many of the climbs looks safer than most (a nice, flat dirt carriage road), and the exposure can seem minimal. (Source: J. Williamson)