It’s September, and the summer 2026 heat wave is, we hope, over. Now it’s time to get out and climb. As a reminder to both trad and sport climbers, the unthinkable can happen. In the case of this month’s Prescription, a quickdraw came unclipped from a bolt hanger.
Back in 2024, the first time we featured a quickdraw unclipping met with widespread disbelief and skepticism. Similar accidents have happened over the years—in this latest case, in November 2025, a climber clipped the first bolt on a tricky 5.7 and asked her belayer to take while she worked out the moves. She then led on past, slipped, fell, and the draw unclipped, sending her 15 feet to the ground. The climber suffered a torn ACL and MCL and sustained a concussion, but her helmet saved her from more serious injury. Fortunately, she has recovered and is climbing once more.
In November 2025, the High Wire Crag in Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado, was the scene of a groundfall when a quickdraw unclipped from a bolt hanger. Photo by PeakDreamz.
Ground Fall | Quickdraw Unclipped During Fall
Clear Creek Canyon, High Wire Crag, Colorado
On November 14, 2025*, at 3:30 p.m., a female climber (Climber X, 23) sustained serious injuries after falling 15 feet to the ground. She had been leading Stone Cold Moderate (5.7) at the High Wire Crag in Clear Creek Canyon and had clipped the first bolt with an unextended alpine quickdraw. As she manteled past the bolt, she fell. The draw came unclipped from the bolt hanger and she fell to the ground. The fallen climber’s belayer was Adam Page (23). He wrote to ANAC:
“Another climber led the route and lowered. Climber X got ready to lead the climb. We stick-clipped the first bolt since it was high on the initial overhang. Some entries on Mountain Project describe this section as “bouldery,” “heady,” and harder than the crux of an adjacent 5.9. After tying in, X started up and was having trouble getting past the first bolt and onto the easier slab above the overhang. She hung on the bolt several times before figuring out the mantel moves past the bolt. As her waist passed the bolt, she slipped and fell. As she fell, the carabiner unclipped from the bolt and she fell 15 feet to the ground. She landed on her ankle and then hit her head on the ground. She had forgotten her helmet that day, and I luckily had given her mine to wear.
A friend who was observing called 911. I held X’s head stable until the paramedics arrived about 30 minutes later; it took 2.5 hours to get her into an ambulance. X suffered a concussion, an ankle injury, abrasions, and a torn ACL and MCL that later required knee surgery”
Analysis
We looked at a photo that we took of her climbing before she fell, and the carabiner was clipped correctly into the bolt. As she was climbing, she moved straight up, with her waist only a few inches over the bolt. For this climb, one starts to the right, moves left, and then passes directly over the bolt for the mantel. After the mantel, you stand up on good footholds above that first bolt and then move left to clip the second.
I think that as she manteled or as she fell, her harness or body contacted the unextended alpine draw, and that moved the hanger end carabiner in such a way as to open the gate and cause it to unclip. The bolt, carabiner, and sling appeared to be in good condition.
The next day when I retrieved my gear and re-created the accident, I tested how easily the draw could unclip. It was pretty easy to cause it to unclip. The type of draw—alpine or dog bone—didn’t affect whether it would unclip or not. The bolt on Stone Cold Moderate was a glue-in style. When testing on a more common ASCA sheet-metal hanger, the draw would not unclip for me.
On a route where a single protection point is critical, it’s worth clipping both ends with a locking carabiner. Also, in this accident, her helmet almost certainly prevented a far more serious head injury. Also, pre-clipping a high bolt is good practice.
(Source: Adam Page and the Editors.)
*This unpublished report describes an accident that occurred at the end of 2025. It is important enough to warrant inclusion in the next edition of ANAC.
Video Analysis—Bold Unclipped During Fall
Jason Antin goes out to the accident site to explain what we *think* happened. The biggest takeaway is to orient the carabiner's gate AWAY from your direction of travel.
Pete Takeda @pete_takeda, Editor of Accidents in North American Climbing; IFMGA/AMGA Guide Jason Antin @jasonantin; Producers: Shane Johnson and Sierra McGivney @sierra_mcgivney; Videographer: Foster Denney @fosterdoodle_; Editor: Sierra McGivney @sierra_mcgivney; Location: Clear Creek Canyon, CO
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