Lowering

By Mike Poborsky, UIAGM/IFMGA

Graphics By Rick Weber

This article was originally printed in the 2013 edition of Accidents in North American Climbing.

Lowering a climbing partner is among the most common situations leading to injuries and rescues reported in Accidents in North American Mountaineering, whether it’s lowering a climber after she tops out on a sport route or a partner in difficulty on a multi-pitch climb. In this year’s (2013) Know the Ropes section, we will look at common causes of accidents related to lowering, and provide some best practices for preventing them.

Why is it so important to have a good understanding of lowering skills and techniques? Think about how often we lower a climbing partner. We all do it frequently in single-pitch climbing, whether top-roping, gym climbing, or lowering the leader after he finishes a sport, ice, or traditional route. We tend to emphasize the belaying aspect of these activities, when in fact data shows there is substantial risk of an accident occurring during the lowering phase. Think about it in these terms: If all goes well during the climb, we don’t even use the safety systems in place. They are simply there “just in case” the climber falls. Once the lowering process starts, however, every component in the system engages and is critical to the safety of the climber. Then, of course, there are unlimited scenarios in multi-pitch climbing—whether rock, alpine, or ice—where lowering can be an effective tool to increase the speed of the party or to help a frightened or incapacitated partner.

Based on the incidents reported in Accidents over the past decade, the four most common causes of lowering accidents are: a rope that’s too short, miscommunication, an inadequate belay, and anchor failure. We’ll look at each of these issues and provide basic and advanced skills and techniques to address some of these common problems. Regardless of whether we are lowering from below or above, or are in single or multi-pitch terrain, many of the same skills and techniques are required.

Rope Too Short

More than half of all lowering accidents reported in Accidents in the past decade occurred when the rope end shot through a belay device and the climber fell uncontrollably. It is very easy to misjudge the length of your rope and/or the height of the anchor in vertical terrain. However, most of these unfortunate accidents could have been prevented simply by closing the system. This will make it impossible for the rope to unintentionally pass through the belay device.

FIGURE 1: The triple overhand knot is an excellent stopper knot for the end of a belay rope or rappel ropes.

In a typical single-pitch climbing scenario, where the pitch length is less than half the available rope, the ground closes the system by default, meaning your partner is going to make it back to the ground before the belayer gets to the end of the rope, so closing the system is unnecessary. The problem comes when the anchor is near or above the midpoint of the typical rope. This is increasingly common as new routes are established with anchors above 30 meters (half the typical modern rope length). For some climbs, a 70-meter rope is now mandatory to lower safely. Before trying an unfamiliar single-pitch route, read the guidebook carefully, ask nearby climbers, and/or research the climb online to be sure it doesn’t require a 70-meter rope to descend safely. When in doubt, bring a longer rope or trail a second rope.

Another scenario frequently leading to single-pitch lowering accidents is a climb where the difficulties begin after scrambling five or ten feet to a high starting ledge. The anchors at the top of such routes may be set in such a way that there is plenty of rope to lower the climber back to the ledge, but not all the way to the ground. Or the belayer may need to be positioned on the starting ledge in order to have enough rope to lower the climber safely. Again, do your homework, ask other climbers, and always watch the end of the rope as you’re lowering a partner.

If there is any doubt about the length of the rope being adequate to lower a climber safely, tie a bulky stopper knot in the free end so it cannot slip through the belay device. (The triple overhand knot is a good choice; see Figure 1.) Better yet, the belayer can tie into the free end, thus closing the system.

As you belay a lead climber on a long pitch, keep a close eye out for the middle mark so you’re aware of whether there is enough rope to lower the climber. Once the middle of the rope passes through your belay device, you and the climber need to be on high alert. Rope stretch may provide a little extra room for the climber to be safely lowered to the ground, but in such cases the system should always be closed as discussed above. When in doubt, the climber should call for another rope and rappel with two ropes.

As the climber lowers, it’s natural to keep an eye on her, but as the belayer you should also be watching the pile of free rope on the ground. Once there is less than 10 or 15 feet remaining, make a contingency plan for safely completing the lower. For example, will the climber have to stop on a ledge and downclimb? Will you need to move closer to the start of the route? Never let the last bit of rope slip through the device if the climber is still lowering, even if she is only a foot or two off the ground—the sudden release of tension can lead to a free fall and tumble.

When lowering in the multi-pitch environment, the belay system must be consciously closed by having the non-load end of the rope tied to the belayer, the anchor, or something else to prevent it from passing through the belay device. In a multi-pitch rappelling scenario we close the system by knotting the ends of the rappel ropes, making it impossible to rappel off the ends.

Miscommunication

The three key problems with communication between climber and belayer are 1) environmental, 2) unclear understanding of command language, and 3) unclear understanding of the intentions of the belayer and climber.

Environmental problems include the climber and belayer being unable to see each other because of the configuration of the route and/or the distance between the two; weather conditions such as wind, snow, or rain; and extraneous noises, such as a river, traffic, or other climbers shouting commands or chatting nearby.

In popular climbing areas with many parties on routes near each other, climbers sometimes mistake a command from a nearby party as coming from their partner. It’s always a good practice to use each other’s names with key commands: “Off belay, Fred!” or “Take, Jane!” When one climber is at the top of a single-pitch climb and rigging the anchor for a lower-off, top-rope, or rappel, it can sometimes be helpful for the belayer to step back temporarily so he can see his partner at the anchor and improve communication. When the climber is ready to lower, the belayer can move back to the base of the climb to be ideally positioned for the lower.

Especially with a new or unfamiliar partner, it’s essential to agree on the terms you’ll be using to communicate when one climber reaches the anchor. What do you mean by “take” or “off” or “got me?” Avoid vague language like “I’m good” or “OK.” Agree on simple, clear terms and use them consistently. One common misunderstanding seems to be the result of the similar sounds of “slack” and “take.” When top-roping, consider using the traditional term “up rope” instead of “take” for more tension in the rope, as the former won’t be confused with “slack.”

Before starting up any single-pitch climb, it’s critical that belayer and climber each understand what the other person will do when the climber reaches the anchor: Will the climber lower off, and if so what language will she use to communicate with the belayer? Or, will she clip directly to the anchor, go off belay, and rappel down the route? Many accidents have resulted when the belayer assumed the climber was going to rappel instead of lower, or the belayer forgot that the climber planned to lower, or he misunderstood a command (“off” or “safe” or “I’m in direct”) as an intention to rappel. Before taking the climber off belay, the belayer must be certain that this is the climber’s intention. If you have agreed that the climber will rappel, wait for the climber to yell “off belay,” and then respond “belay off,” and only then remove the rope from your device.

When you reach the anchor at the top of a climb, don’t just clip in, shout “take,” and lean back. Make sure to hear a response from the belayer indicating that he has you on belay and is ready to lower. If you can’t see the belayer, sometimes it is possible to extend your anchor connection or lower yourself a little, holding onto the “up” rope, until you can get into position to make visual contact with the belayer and assure you’re still on belay.

A consideration when lowering someone from above is that the belayer and climber become farther apart during the lowering process, and this may compromise communication. To mitigate this potential problem, I like to position myself where I can see, and hopefully hear, the climber being lowered from start to finish. In some terrain this requires extending the anchor’s master point.

Belay System Errors

A common cause of lowering accidents is belayer errors, especially when the belayer is inexperienced, inattentive, or unfamiliar with the operation of a particular type of device. Make sure your belayer—or any belayer you observe— knows what he’s doing and pays attention until his climber is safely back on the ground or at an anchor. Don’t accept or ignore shoddy belaying!

On single-pitch routes, two things that may cause problems are belayers positioned too far back from the base of the climb—and thus getting pulled off balance and possibly losing control when the climber weights the rope—as well as using an unfamiliar device. Switching between tube-style devices, such as an ATC, and assisted-braking devices like the Grigri can cause inexperienced belayers to mishandle the device. Beware of loaning your device to a belayer unless you are confident that he is well-trained in its use.

What is the appropriate lowering brake for lowering your partner? It’s one that provides adequate friction to control their descent over very specific terrain. In some alpine terrain situations, the redirected hip belay may be totally sufficient for a short, moderate-angle step with high friction. Conversely, lowering directly off an equalized multi-point anchor with a backup may be required in steeper terrain (see Figure 2).

FIGURE 2: Lowering a partner from above with a redirect and backup. A) Belay/ rappel device with locking carabiner clipped to master point. B) Redirect through carabiner clipped to anchor. C) Prusik knot clipped to belay loop as backup—useful for heavier partners or wet or icy ropes.

FIGURE 3: Increasing friction for a lower with a thin-diameter or wet or icy rope, using a Munter hitch on a locking carabiner clipped to the anchor above the belay/rappel device.

In some cases, the most important belay issue may be anchoring the belayer against a violent upward pull in the event of a leader fall or a falling or lowering top-rope climber who is much heavier. In this situation I like to be tied directly into the climbing rope and use a clove hitch to attach myself to a bottom anchor. This way the length is adjustable so I can be exactly where I want with no slack in the system, and the rope provides shock adsorption if the system becomes loaded.

Most people tend to underestimate how much friction is needed to lower their partner in a safe and controlled manner. How do we gain the experience required to be safe? Through time and practice in varied terrain. Be conservative at first and anchor the belayer, increase friction, use a backup—or all three—until the belayer has confidence in judging how much friction is needed. It’s easy to back up a new climber’s belay by holding the brake strand a couple of feet beyond the belayer and feeding the necessary slack. This allows you to closely monitor the belay and provide additional braking if the climber starts going too fast or the belayer starts losing control.

Do you have experience lowering with wet or icy ropes? Do you have experience lowering with modern small-diameter ropes? If not, then I would recommend increasing friction when lowering someone from above (see Figure 3), as well as backing up the lower with a prusik, until you gain adequate experience. Bottom line: If the consequence of losing control of the brake strand is bad, add friction and back it up.

Prior to committing to any lower, consider some “what ifs.” For example, what if something happens when I’m lowering my partner and I need to be mobile? How easy is it for me to escape the system? What if I need to transfer this lower to a raise? Does this system allow me to make this transition easily?

Anchoring Issues

There is much to consider when constructing an anchor, but the bottom line is that it absolutely must not fail, period. (The Know the Ropes article in the 2012 Accidents is a great reference on constructing anchors.) What are some of my concerns when choosing a possible anchor? 1) Will I be using this anchor for climbing and lowering or rappelling? 2) With the resources available, can I construct an adequate anchor in a given spot? 3) How will the rope run once lowering starts? 4) Will the belayer and climber being lowered have visual and/ or audio communication for the duration of the lower?

I have long used the ERNEST acronym as guidance when constructing an anchor. E = Are all pieces in the anchor equalized and sharing the load? R= Is there redundancy in the anchor, meaning that if one piece fails other pieces will take the load? NE= If one piece does fail and the other pieces take the load, will this be done with no extension or shock loading of the remaining anchor? S= Is the anchor material (tree, rock, ice) and/or protection solid and strong? T= Can this anchor be constructed in a timely manner? Just remember, ERNEST should be used as guidance, not a checklist—adjust as necessary. Once an anchor has been established, we must decide how to connect the rope to the anchor.

Sometimes a route may be too overhanging or traverse too much to clean by rappel. In such cases, it may be necessary to clip into the belay rope while lowering (a.k.a. “tram in”) to stay close to the wall and remove each piece. Be sure to communicate each step clearly with your belayer, and never unclip from the belay rope when you are away from the wall (as shown here), because you will plunge straight downward when the tension is released, possibly hitting the ground. Instead, only unclip from the belay rope when you’re clipped into a bolt or the belay rope is taut against the cliff face. Make sure to do this in a place where you won’t hit a tree or the ground when you swing off. PC: Andrew Burr

All top-roping should always be done through the climber’s removable gear, such as carabiners attached to quickdraws, runners, or a cordelette, and not through the fixed hardware of an existing anchor system. The fixed anchors should only be used for rappelling, where the ropes will be pulled without load. A dirty rope running through the anchor system under load causes unnecessary wear at fixed anchors. In fact, at some sandstone climbing destinations where sand easily works into the weave of the rope, locals are reporting 50 percent wear of steel quick- links in a couple of climbing seasons. So whether you are top-roping or topping out on a sport climb, be responsible and climb or lower on your own removable gear. Whenever possible, the last person to climb should rappel rather than lower off once he is finished with the route.

Before leading a sport climb, decide what extra gear will be needed for the anchor. To set up for lowering and top-roping, I like to carry two quickdraws designated for the anchor, one of them equipped with two locking carabiners. Before following a sport climb, decide what extra gear will be necessary to clean the top anchor. I girth-hitch two 24-inch nylon slings to my harness and add two locking carabiners. When I get to the anchor, I clip a locking carabiner to each rappel ring. Now I can thread the rope through the fixed anchor and rappel. There are a variety of techniques for accomplishing this. Regardless of the one you learn, I recommend practicing while on the ground and using the same system every time you clean the anchor.

One subtle but very important difference between rappelling and lowering is that in rappelling the rappel device is moving over a stationary rope, because the person rappelling is simply sliding down the rope. In lowering, the rope is the object in motion and is moving through a stationary belay device. This means the rope is moving over terrain that may have loose rock and/or sharp edges. In general a taut rope over a sharp edge is not a good idea, and one that is moving over sharp edges is just asking for trouble. Before lowering, take extra care to position the rope so it avoids any edges or loose blocks. And, finally, never lower with the rope running directly through an anchor sling—the hot friction of nylon on nylon will quickly melt through the sling, with disastrous consequences.

Be Prepared!

As climbers we all need to take ownership in the ability to problem-solve and be self-sufficient at the crag and in the mountains. This starts by critically thinking about what gear we carry on a given objective. For example, I choose to use an assisted-braking device (such as the Petzl Grigri) for top-roping, sport routes, and gym climbing because of the added security and comfort for holding and lowering a climber. In the mountains and on traditionally protected climbs I use an auto-blocking device (such as the Black Diamond ATC Guide or Petzl Reverso) because it is lighter, much more multifunctional, and it allows the rope to slip a bit when catching a fall, helping to reduce impact forces. Another example: I use accessory cord to tie my chalk bag around my waist, so I always have a cord I can easily convert into a prusik if I need to back up a lower or rappel.

In addition to my harness, protection, quickdraws, and shoulder-length slings, here’s what I typically carry on most multi-pitch climbs, giving me the tools to deal with most situations that might arise:

• Small knife or multi-tool

• Auto-blocking belay/rappel device with 2 locking carabiners

• 2–3 extra locking carabiners

• 5–7mm* cord to tie on chalk bag, doubling as a prusik cord

• 5–7mm*, 18-foot cordelette with a non-locking carabiner

• Two 48” slings, each with a non-locking carabiner

• 1 extra 5–7mm*, 18-foot cordelette with rappel rings (for multi-pitch

  alpine routes)

• 24” nylon sling for racking gear

  * As a general rule, a cord or cordelette needs to be 2–3mm smaller than the climbing rope in order to provide adequate friction for a prusik.

FIGURE 4: When using an auto-blocking belay device in guide mode to belay a second climber, it may be necessary to “release” the locked device when it’s under load, in order to lower the second so he can reach a ledge or retry a move. Thread a thin sling through the small hole opposite the clip-in hole on the device, redirect it through the anchor, and clip it to your harness so you can use body weight to release the device. For additional control of the lower, always redirect the brake strand through the anchor. As a back-up, tie a friction hitch onto the brake strand and clip it to your harness. PC: Sterling Snyder

FIGURE 5: The Munter hitch can be used instead of a device to belay or lower a climber. It’s preferable to orient the hitch with the load strand on the gate side of the carabiner.

Since we are somewhat limited in the amount of gear we carry on a given objective, it makes sense to maximize our understanding of the gear we typically use. One of the most utilitarian pieces of modern equipment is a belay/rappel device with an auto-blocking option, like the BD ATC Guide, Petzl Reverso, or similar. This single piece of equipment has a variety of uses, including the following:

• Standard belay from harness

• Auto-blocking belay from an anchor (see Figure 4)

• Lower from anchor with increasing friction (see Figure 3)

• Lower from anchor with a backup (see Figure 2)

• Simple 3:1 hauling system

• Ascending

• Rappelling

  What if you drop your belay/rappel device? A key technique to know is how to tie a Munter hitch and use it to belay, rappel, or lower from a locking carabiner clipped to an equalized anchor (see Figure 5). When possible the Munter hitch should be tied so the load strand of the rope is on the gate side of the carabiner and the brake strand is on the spine side.

  All of these skills and techniques should be practiced and perfected at your house, in the climbing gym, or at the local crag, in a setting that has minimal consequences if you get it wrong. And please take the time to read the instruction manuals that come with your equipment. They are packed with invaluable information and tips.

  Through time, practice, observation, and reflection we start developing the necessary skills to be a truly competent partner, with the skills to use an alternative system when we, or our partner, can no longer climb, belay, lower, or rappel due to circumstances. I know for certain that we cannot possibly plan for everything that might happen in the mountains, but we all have a responsibility to our partner and the entire climbing community to be as prepared as possible when unexpected situations do arise.

  About the Author

  Mike Poborsky is an internationally certified rock, alpine, and ski guide, and is vice president of Exum Mountain Guides, based in Jackson, Wyoming.

Belaying

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The following article is reproduced from the 2016 edition of Accidents in North American Climbing. Author: Ron Funderburke.

Climbers have been belaying for as long as they’ve been using ropes. We use some type of belay in almost every roped climbing context—it is the essential skill that unites all disciplines. It’s interesting, therefore, to see how little agreement there is about the “best” belay techniques, how distracting our assertions about belaying tend to be, and how rigidly dogmatic we can be about a task that many understand so imperfectly.

This dogmatic approach persists even though using a rope to belay something valuable—whether a load of cargo on a ship or a climber on a cliff—has always been organized by three fundamental principles:

• There should be a brake hand on the rope at all times.

• Any time the brake hand slides along the rope, the rope should be in the brake position.

• The hands and limbs should be positioned according to their natural strength.

These are the principles that we should use to evaluate belaying, yet our discussion of “good” or “bad” belaying often revolves around a specific biomechanical sequence. It’s time to abandon this way of talking and thinking about belaying. It’s misleading, reductive, and provokes more arguments that it solves.

Meanwhile, a cursory perusal of any edition of Accidents reveals there are severe consequences for imprecise understanding of belaying. In recent years, 5 to 10 percent of all incidents reported have involved inadequate belays.

This edition of Know the Ropes will equip readers with language and principles that unify all belay contexts. Additionally, for those who are new to belaying, those who want to learn to belay in different contexts, or those who aren’t sure about their current technique, this article will provide some suggestions for how to do so in a fundamentally sound way.

THE ORIGINS OF BELAYING PRINCIPLES

The earliest belayers used the most primitive technique: The belayer held the rope tightly and did not let go under any circumstance. Belayers had to be very strong, and the rope had to be kept very tight. And the brake hand had to be on the rope at all times. Even the strongest belayers and the lightest climbers wouldn’t stand a chance without this fundamental principle. 

The addition of friction to the belay system allowed smaller belayers to secure bigger climbers. Wrapping the rope around features in mountain terrain or the belayer’s body provided enough friction to hold larger loads. 

Friction also introduced two new realities to belaying. First, friction could be increased and decreased, creating a “belay cycle.” Increased friction is valuable when holding a load; decreased friction is valuable when trying to move rope through the system.

The second new reality was that friction allowed the belayer to relax a little. In the more primitive form of belaying, without friction, the belayer’s hand-over-hand technique maintained a constant grip on the rope. By contrast, a belay system with friction allows the belayer to relax [their] grip at some points in the cycle, which, naturally, deprioritizes vigilance.

These changes led to the second fundamental principle of belaying: Since every belay cycle has a point of high friction, it makes sense to spend as much time in that position as possible. Therefore, whenever the brake hand slides along the rope, the rope should be in the brake position. If a climber falls while the brake hand is sliding on the rope, it obviously will be easier and quicker to arrest the fall if the rope is already in the brake position.

Since the addition of friction to the system, every major evolution in belaying has involved some sort of technology. First came the carabiner, which not only allowed belayers to augment their friction belays but also invited the use of hitches, tied to carabiners, as belay tools. The most effective of these was the Munter hitch. 

The Munter hitch offered a braking position that was the same as the pulling position, so the belay cycle was easy to teach and learn. It soon became the predominant belay technique in all disciplines. (Before the advent of reliable protection, dynamic belays, and nylon ropes, belaying was primarily the duty of the leader. A second might belay the leader, but the leader was not expected to fall, nor was it widely expected that a leader fall could be caught.) The Munter hitch, belaying a second from above, conforms naturally to the third fundamental principle of belaying: It positions the hands, limbs, and body according to their natural strength. It keeps the belay comfortable and strong throughout the belay cycle, and while taking rope in, catching falls, holding weight, and lowering.

THE MODERN ERA

An era ago, these fundamental principles were not really in dispute. They applied to body belays (hip belays, butt belays, shoulder belays, boot-axe belays, etc.), terrain belays (belays over horns, boulders, and ridgelines), and belays on carabiners (Munter hitch). However, by the Second World War, climbers began to use nylon ropes and other equipment that could handle the forces of leader falls. Moreover, climbing clubs, schools, and enthusiasts began to experiment with redirecting the climbing rope through a top anchor, so that belaying on the ground, for both the leader and follower, became much more common. Pushing the limits of difficulty also became more common— leading to more falling.

Belayers around the world also began to experiment with new belay tools that redirected the braking position 180 degrees—the most common early example was the Sticht plate, but the same principle applies to today’s tube-style devices. Instead of the brake strand of rope running in the same direction as the loaded strand (the climber’s strand), the belayer had to hold the brake strand in the opposite direction.

For many years, instructors and textbooks explained how to use these new manual belay devices (MBDs) by defaulting to the hand and body positions that had become entrenched from the use of the Munter hitch and the hip belay. The most common of these was the hand-up (supinated) brake-hand position on the rope. 

The stronger, more comfortable technique with MBDs is a hand-down (pronated) position with the brake hand, and newer texts and instructors often adopted this technique, in order to connect the new technology with the fundamental principles of belay. But the resulting cacophony—with belay instruction varying wildly—gave students and climbers the impression that belaying did not have any governing principles. 

We climbers have our sectarian instincts, and climbers today are as likely to argue the relative merits of various belay techniques as they are to argue about the merits of sport climbing and trad climbing, alpine style and expedition style. The goal of this article is to redirect all belayers’ attention to two indisputable truths: 

• Belaying happens in many, many different contexts. 

• Belaying in every context is most effective when it is based on the three fundamental principles, which long preceded any arguments we are currently having. 

THE CONTEXTS OF BELAYING

Even though we generally learn to belay in a fairly simple context (top-roping), belaying is much more diverse than what happens in an Intro to Climbing class. The most appropriate belay techniques can vary widely depending on the setting (gym, multi-pitch crag, alpine climb, etc.) and whether the climber is leading or following. Most generally, belaying happens in three different ways, using different techniques and tools for each: friction belays, counterweight belays, and direct belays. 

FRICTION BELAYS

In a friction belay, the rope runs directly between the belayer and climber, and there might not be any anchor. The potential holding power of the belay is relative to the amount of friction one can generate, the strength of the belayer’s grip, and the resilience of the object providing friction. 

Friction belays are most common in mountaineering (though there are other contexts where they provide efficient and prudent options). In the mountains, there usually are long stretches of terrain where a full anchor is not necessary and building and deconstructing anchors might dangerously delay the climbers. 

Most commonly, the belayer will select a feature of the terrain to belay or use [their] body to create friction. The belay stance must replace the security that an anchor might have provided, whether by bracing one’s feet, belaying over the top of a ridgeline, or another method. Any terrain features used to provide friction or a stance must be carefully inspected to ensure they are solid and won’t create a rockfall hazard. 

COUNTERWEIGHT BELAYS

Whether climbing single-pitch routes or belaying the leader on a multi-pitch climb, these are the most commonly used belay techniques. The climbing rope is redirected through a top anchor or a leader’s top piece of protection, and the belayer provides a counterweight, coupled with effective belay technique and tools, to hold or lower the climber or catch a fall. 

Even though there are plenty of exceptions, the vast majority of American climbing happens in a single-pitch setting, on a climb that is less than 30 meters tall. The belayers and climbers generally are comparably sized, and the belayer is comfortably situated on the ground. Belaying this way provides a more social atmosphere, allowing for banter, camaraderie, and coaching. That’s why climbing gyms, climbing programs, and most casual outings gravitate toward this belay context. 

However, the ease and comfort of single-pitch counterweight belays do not liberate the belayer from serious responsibilities. Thankfully, there are several different biomechanical sequences for belaying a top-rope that fall under the halo of the three fundamental principles. Each of the three techniques outlined below comes with a set of pros and cons that makes it the preferred methods of certain groups of climbers, instructors, and programs. 

PBUS

The top-roping belay technique commonly known as PBUS resonates with climbing instructors and mentors because it emphasizes the fundamental principles so distinctly. The hand transition is securely in the braking position, and it’s hard to imagine the belayer losing control if the climber were to fall while the hand was sliding. Plus, the ergonomics of the technique keep the wrist and grip pronated.

PBUS is most effective when a top-roper is moving slowly and hanging frequently. When the climber moves quickly and proficiently, a strict adherence to this technique often causes the belay setup to collapse, which could allow the belay carabiner to cross-load. It’s also harder to move slack quickly enough to keep up with a proficient climber. 

HAND OVER HAND

If the belayer alternates brake hands, [they are] able to move slack through the belay cycle more quickly than with PBUS. As long as the brake hands are alternating in the braking position, this technique abides by the fundamental principles of belay, and it is a preferred technique for experienced belayers and for top-ropers who move quickly. 

Many instructors and mentors dislike this technique because it allows the belayer to keep “a” brake hand on at all times, instead of keeping “the” brake hand on at all times. As a result, this technique is usually relegated to more experienced teams.

SHUFFLE

The shuffle technique is most applicable when using an assisted-braking device (ABD) to belay, but it can be used with manual devices by a very experienced belayer (read more about assisted-braking devices). It requires the belayer to have a refined sense of how to grip the rope with varying degrees of intensity, all without relinquishing the readiness to brake. A loosely gripped brake hand can shuffle along the brake strand, up or down, without letting go. A tightly gripped brake hand can be used to catch falls.

Many belayers find this technique unsettling because they are attached to the idea that a relentlessly strong grip on the brake strand is symbolic of the belayer’s commitment. With a proficient belayer, however, the shuffle technique is not only fundamentally sound, it also can be a smooth and reliable way to belay, especially with an ABD. 

TOP-ROPE BELAYING IN ACTION

BELAYING A LEADER

Lead belaying involves the same fundamental counterweight arrangements as top-rope belays, but the dynamics involved in a lead fall greatly augment the forces a belayer must contend with. The loads can be severe and startling. Moreover, there is much more to effective lead belaying than simply paying out slack and catching occasional falls. The interplay of slack and tension requires quick and seamless adaptation, practiced and undistracted fine motor skills, and a situational awareness that is hard to achieve if one has never done any leading oneself. Lead belayers must master the following skills:

• Setup and preparation

• Correct use of the chosen belay device

• Compensating for unnecessary slack

• Catching falls

Unfortunately, lead belayers may only learn a portion of these skills before they are asked to perform all of them on a belay. It’s easy to imagine how a rudimentary skill set can result in frustration, accidents, or even fatalities. 

SETUP AND PREPARATION

A lead belayer needs to determine the likely fall line for a climber who has clipped the first piece of protection. Standing directly beneath the first piece and then taking one step out of the fall line (roughly 10 degrees) will usually keep a falling leader from landing directly on the belayer’s head, while still keeping the belayer in position to give an effective belay. 

Once the lead belayer decides where [they want] to stand, the rope should be stacked neatly on the brake-hand side, right next to the belayer’s stance. A knot in the belayer’s end of the rope (or tying in) closes the system. 

USING THE BELAY DEVICE

Lead belayers will have to learn some fine motor skills to offer an effective lead belay, especially with an ABD. It takes practice. 

Most of the time, the leader keeps [their] brake hand wrapped entirely around the rope, as with any other belay. The lead belayer pays out arm lengths of slack as the leader moves, and then slides the brake hand down the rope with the rope in the brake position. The mechanics are mostly identical, whether the belayer is using an MBD (such as an ATC or other tube-style device) or an ABD. 

But when the leader moves quickly or pulls a lot of slack to clip protection, the belayer will have to feed slack fast, without releasing the brake hand. This is easily learned with an MBD, using a form of the shuffle technique. But with ABD devices such as the Grigri, a specific technique for each device must be learned and practiced. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and warnings. (Most have produced instructional online videos explaining the appropriate technique.) No matter which device you use, keep the fundamental principles of belaying in mind. Most importantly, your brake hand must stay on the rope as you feed slack. 

COMPENSATING

Lead belaying also involves a subtle exchange of giving and taking rope called compensating. When a leader makes a long clip, there is a moment where the rope is actually clipped above the leader’s head, and [they are] effectively on a short top-rope. As a result the belayer needs to make a seamless transition between giving slack, taking in slack, and giving slack again. The most extreme version of compensating happens when the leader downclimbs from a clip to a rest and then reascends to the high point.

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CATCHING FALLS

The most important part of catching a fall is stopping a leader from hitting the ground or a ledge—or abruptly slamming into the wall. On overhanging climbs, a leader is less likely to impact objects, so longer falls are acceptable. But on vertical or low-angled climbs, the same length of fall could easily cause the leader to impact features along the fall line. 

The lead belayer must be constantly prepared to mitigate the fall consequence as much as [they] can, and a key part of this is maintaining the appropriate amount of slack and movement in the system. While belaying a leader on an overhang, the belayer might feel free to let the momentum of the counterweight lift [them] off the ground. This is the coveted “soft catch” that so many leaders seem to think is essential. 

But when a fall is more consequential—when it might result in ledge impact or a ground fall—an astute belayer may “fight” the fall, sometimes even taking in slack and bracing to increase the counterweight effect. 

It takes time and effort to learn this distinction, because every climb is a little different. One of the most important ways to learn lead belaying is to lead climb. An experienced leader will better understand the issues facing other lead climbers and will know what it feels like to have a belayer do [their] job perfectly.

LEAD BELAYING IN ACTION

DIRECT BELAYS

Direct belays connect the belay system directly to an anchor. As a result, the anchor must be fundamentally sound. That is to say, it has redundant construction, distributes loads intelligently to all the components, limits potential shock-loading if a single component were to fail, and is adequately strong. The anchor must easily sustain all the potential loads applied to it, plus a healthy margin of error. Its integrity should not be in question. Read more about anchors here or here.

Direct belays are the most prudent way to belay a second from the top of a rock or ice pitch where falls are likely and consequential. (That would include all fifth-class rock terrain and almost every ice climb at any grade.) They do not trap the belayer in a counterweight arrangement, allowing the belayer to manage the rope and multi-task. Because the belayer is attached to the anchor separately, the belayer can affect assistance techniques to help a climber move up if needed. Direct belays also put less force on an anchor than counterweight belays do (which shouldn’t matter, really, because the anchor should be bombproof). Lastly, they are particularly advantageous when belaying more than one person simultaneously. 

Whether the belayer is using a Munter hitch, an MBD, or an ABD in a direct belay, the fundamentals apply: The brake hand is always on the rope, hand transitions occur in the braking position, and the limbs are positioned in ways that are comfortable and sustainable. Direct belays should confer all of the climber’s weight to the anchor, so it is easy to imagine a few different hand positions that take advantage of the belayer’s natural strength.Lowering is a completely different story with direct belays. As articles in Accidents will attest, lowering will usually require the belayer to disable or reduce a device’s autoblocking or braking function. As a result, the belayer should redirect the rope through the anchor and use a friction hitch or backup belay whenever [they are] lowering from a direct belay. 

COMMON MISTAKES

FINAL THOUGHTS

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As we can see, there are so many variables to belaying that it can be counterproductive to say there is only one “right” technique. The appropriate belay method for each pitch depends on the terrain, the style and difficulty of climbing, the relative experience and weight of the climber and belayer, and the tools available. The “right” technique is the one that’s appropriate for each context, as long as it adheres to the fundamental principles of keeping your brake hand on the rope, sliding your hand only when the rope is in the braking position, and positioning your hands and body according to their natural strength.

Keep exploring belaying by watching our Know the Ropes videos here or checking out this slideshow. If you teach belaying or just want to take a deep dive, see the AAC’s own Gold Standard curriculum.

Find more information on a variety of topics, including “Climber Communication,” by checking out our complete Know the Ropes collection.

Cleaning an Anchor in Single Pitch Climbing

Accident data in the United States clearly indicates that the routine task of anchor cleaning is clearly too routine for some of us, and not routine enough for others. The inescapable reality is that experienced and and inexperienced climbers, alike, are susceptible to mishap during this seemingly mundane process.

Every accident on record has a slew of contributing factors, to be sure, and it would be impossible to create best practices that could account for all possible contingencies. However, one common thread indicated by accident reporting and a review of instructional literature is that anchor-cleaning sequences, up to this point, have not necessarily been dictated by any unifying principles or concepts.

This article will attempt to reset the bar on that deficit, and align the reader with a set of value-based decision making tools that inform our recommendations for a generalizable best practice.  This article will start with the following assumption: the climbing team consists of a lead climber that has been lowered to the ground, through a redirected top-anchor, the anchor material needs to be retrieved, and the climbing team is operating in a single pitch context with a permanent fixed anchor. 

This context is common on any single pitch outing. The climber is toproping, when she arrives at the top of the pitch she will retrieve the anchoring tools.  

Often, the climber/cleaner also removes equipment from the climb, equipment that the initial leader left behind.

Certain values should govern the cleaning procedure every time it occurs, and each of these values can be used to analyze the effectiveness of any cleaning sequence.

Those values are as follows:

• Changing safety systems, like going on and off belay or switching from being belayed to rappelling, opens up opportunities for error. It also takes time, requires communication and double checks. It is inherently more efficient and safer to use one safety system at all times.

• It is valuable for the cleaner to be connected to the climbing rope, in some way, at all times. That way the rope cannot be dropped.

• It is valuable to minimize the amount of equipment needed to clean an anchor. If minimal equipment is needed, equipment cannot be forgotten.

Most Generalizable Cleaning Sequence: Lowering off the Rings

The cleaning sequence that best applies the values listed above requires the cleaner to lower off an anchor's rappel rings or quick-links.  There are a few reasons this sequence is not more widely adopted.  First, the lowering sequence is misapplied and/or misunderstood.  Second, there is misplaced sense of stewardship that seeks to preserve anchor hardware. 

Many climbers erroneously believe that changing safety systems in unavoidable because they do not necessarily understand that a bight of rope can be pushed through rappel rings.  They might also misunderstand the different ways climbers can connect to an anchor.  Some connections between a climber and an anchor are critical, and they require strength and security.  Like a PAS, a personal tether, or anchoring with the climbing rope and a clove hitch.  These kinds of connections are both strong and secure. Combined with a locking carabiner, they are capable of holding over ten times the climbers body weight in some cases.

Second, many climbers misunderstand the actual impacts lowering off the rings make on communal fixed hardware. Lowering off rings, undoubtedly, wears rings out faster than rappelling.  But, it is important to remember that the rings are engineered for the purpose of lowering. They are designed to sustain the wear and tear of lowering, and then be replaced. Even if lowering resulted in drastic ring erosion, it is worth considering how a more efficient and safer lowering sequence may be worth it.  As accident data surrounding rappelling accumulates, it is worth considering that our friends and family members are more valuable than stainless steel rings, and the only real cost of keeping them safer is replacing rings more frequently.

Having asserted those two common misunderstandings, let’s look at a cleaning sequence that maintains one unremitting safety system (the belay), requires minimal equipment, and never detaches the climbing rope from the cleaner.

Step One: Fifi. Upon arriving at the anchor, the leader can Fifi in to any point in the anchor, but the master point is usually well positioned for this task. A Fifi is a common tool among aid climbers and the concept can be valuable in a cleaning sequence. The idea is to continue to rely on the belay for ultimate security.  Why relinquish it? But, the cleaner will want to connect to the anchor somehow so that the cleaning sequence can proceed more efficiently. So, taking a single quickdraw, any of the quickdraws cleaned off the climb for example, and connecting the belay loop to the master point, will allow the cleaner to work without maintaining a stance or a grip on the rock.  

Any quickdraw cleaned off the pitch can serve as a "Fifi".

Connecting to the masterpoint with a "fifi" is not anchoring. It's just a place to sit for a minute. No need to say anything to suggest that the belayer should not continue to keep the climber safe.

Step Two: Thread a Bight through the rap ring(s). The cleaner will then call for slack, enough slack to run a bight of rope through the rap ring(s).  Once the bight has been passed through the ring, a Figure 8 on a Bight should be tied.  

Most rap rings and quicklinks are big enough to pass a bight of rope through. The bight only needs to be big enough to tie a Figure-8-On-A-Bight. Note the hangers are thick rounded steel typically found at belay stations; do not pass rope through the thinner, sharper edged hangers used on route.

Try to imagine the precision in this moment. The bight is now blocked against the rings. If anything were to go wrong, the climber is secured in a way, by that blocked knot. The belayer did not hear anything confusing or distracting like “Off Belay” or “In Direct” or any other command that could suggest that relinquishing the belay is the next step.

Step Three: Clip the Figure on a Bight to the belay loop with a locking carabiner or two non-locking carabiners (opposite and opposed). Once that bight knot is connected to the climber’s belay loop, the climber may call to the belayer for tension, or take. The belay will do so, and the climber’s body weight will now be counterweighted through the rings by the belayer.

In this moment, the climber is connected to the original tie-in, the bight-knot and locking carabiner, and the fifi. It's a good time to double check the system.

Try to imagine the precision of this moment. Even if the belayer somehow misunderstood his/her role in the cleaning sequence, the call to take gives the climber a chance to double check the entire system before initiating any other critical steps. The climber is essentially anchored at this point by the knot block, the bight clipped to the belay loop, and the original tie-in, which still has not been touched.

Step Four: Untie the original tie-in, clean the anchor, and lower. After double checking all the critical links in the system (the belayer, the bight knot, the locking carabiners, and the rope running through the rap rings) the climber can untie his/her original figure 8 follow through. That long tail can be pulled through the rings and allowed to dangle harmlessly behind the cleaner. The anchoring tools can all be removed from the bolts and stowed. The climber can announce that he/she is ready to lower, and allow the belayer to lower to the ground.

When lowering, the tail from the original tie-in will dangle behind the bight knot.

The cleaner never relinquished the belay.  The cleaner was never untied from the rope, and therefore did not create an opportunity to drop it.  The cleaner only communicated three unambiguous commands to the belayer: “Slack,” “Take, ” and “Ready to Lower.” The cleaner did not need PAS or daisy chain or ATC or friction hitch or a half dozen carabiners to complete this sequence.  

Most anchor cleaning should happen in this way; it is the generalizable case.

Know the Ropes: Cleaning an Anchor

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The Prescription — February 2023

The following story describes a top-rope solo accident from 2021. The report arrived too late to include in the 2022 Accidents book. Unfortunately, this type of mishap has become more common as many choose the efficiency of partner-free ascent for much of their outdoor climbing.

Device Disengaged from Rope

Snowshed Wall, Donner Summit, California

Snowshed Wall. A rappelling climber is visible near the same place that Dozier fell. PC: Ryan Dozier

On June 7, 2021, Ryan Dozier (37) was top-rope soloing at Snowshed Wall at Donner Summit, near Lake Tahoe. Near the top, he fell, plummeting 50 feet before his system caught his fall. Ryan picks up the story from here.

On that day, “I completed four different climbs using a rig that I have frequently used over the past 10 years. I usually fix two strands of a dynamic rope at the anchor. I attach a Petzl Micro Traxion to one strand and weight it at the bottom. I use a Trango Cinch assisted-braking device on the other, unweighted strand. I attach both devices to my harness belay loop via locking carabiners. 

Dozier’s ropes on Crack Of The Eighties. He top-roped the route with one hang a year after his accident. PC: Ryan Dozier

“By early afternoon, most people had left the crag due to the breezy conditions. I moved my ropes to the anchor of Crack of the Eighties (5.13a) and weighted one line at the bottom with a rope bag stuffed with the remainder of the strand. This was a difficult route I had climbed many times over the years. I decided to modify my soloing setup by only using the one strand of rope and the Micro Traxion. I decided to do this because it was windy and I was worried my unweighted rappel strand would get blown around the corner. I also did not want to pull slack through the Cinch. This was also my last climb, and I wanted to get it done and head home. This was the first time I have ever soloed with just one device. 

“I fell three times on the first three quarters of the route, and the device engaged each time. Several feet below the anchor, I was in a difficult layback with high feet and I remember looking down at the Micro Traxion and thinking something seemed off. The device and carabiner were a little twisted, and I took one hand off the rock to straighten it out. 

Dozier being treated in the same ER where he formerly worked. PC: Ryan Dozier

“Before I could touch [the device], a foot popped and I began a 50-foot free fall, acutely aware that the cam was not biting the rope. In an attempt to slow myself down, I grabbed the rope with both hands and sustained deep rope burns to eight fingers and both palms. This action probably kept me upright. While the route is vertical to slightly overhanging and mostly devoid of features, my left foot impacted a protrusion just before I hit the ground. This impact caused my torso to crunch, and when this happened, the Micro Traxion miraculously engaged on the rope and arrested my fall. My feet were three feet above the ground. I was not wearing a helmet.

“Two friends happened to be nearby and witnessed the fall. I’m an ER trauma nurse and former EMT. This background was invaluable in rapidly assessing injury and determining the safest plan of action. I immediately put my leather belay gloves on my damaged hands so that I could use them. I checked my head, neck, chest, and other extremities for pain. Finding none, I knew my main injury was my left ankle dislocation. I had no feeling in the foot and knew that I couldn’t waste time. I used a prusik to unweight the Micro Traxion, lowered to the ground on a Grigri, and immediately retrieved painkillers from my first-aid kit. Calling 911 was discussed and we decided to self-rescue rather than wait for EMS. My fixed line helped me lower down the short but steep approach trail, and my two friends helped me hop across the creek and reach the road. They drove me to the ER, where my leg was realigned. I underwent surgery about a week later. My left foot had sustained a sub-talar dislocation and fractures to four different bones. I have since returned to rock climbing at nearly the level I had been, thanks to a copious amount of physical and mental therapy.”

ANALYSIS

“I can’t find any recorded accounts of this type of accident, but I have heard that it has happened before. It is common at climbing areas around the world to use a single Micro Traxion for toprope soloing.* This is an ‘off-label’ use of the device. There are no documented reports of its failure to engage during dynamic loading, although I have heard some campfire talk about it happening. I believe that while climbing, the device was squeezed in my lap in just the right way to lock the device open. It then re-engaged when my foot slammed into the cliff.

“The Micro Traxion had no visible damage. The rope had no apparent damage. I’ve had many conversations with friends in rope access and SAR. The best we can figure is that, besides causing my torso to crunch and re-engage the Micro Traxion, the impact of my foot caused me to slow down enough to minimize the impact on the rope. A more dynamic load onto a toothed cam would likely have core shot, if not severed, the line. 

“I made choices that day to modify my time-tested solo rig for many reasons—the Micro Traxion had never failed to engage in the past, it was windy, I was anxious to go home, and I didn’t want to have to pull slack through the backup device. None of those were good reasons, but at the time I convinced myself they were. If I had not remained upright, I would have certainly sustained a head injury. There is no good reason not to wear a helmet. If my foot had not hit the rare protrusion on this section of the cliff, I would have had a ground fall and been gravely injured or killed. In a redundant rigging system, this accident would likely not have happened.” (Source: Ryan Dozier.)

*Editor’s Note: Most climbers (the ANAC editor included) use a variety of top-rope solo systems that incorporate elastic cord, surgical tubing, or even a headlamp strap to keep the primary device upright and taut. This maintains the device’s orientation in some configurations, and keeps it separated from a backup device.

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More Analysis Of Top-Rope Device Malfunction

Big-wall climber and climbing instructor Yann Camus’ rope grab video provides some in-depth analysis of top-rope solo devices. The bottom line: Use a backup!

In another video, Camus examines more devices used by top-rope soloists. Along the way, he debunks some myths.

Different Devices, Similar Outcomes

Top-rope solo mishaps seem to be on the rise. From 2019 through 2021, four accidents involving other “off label” uses of devices on single ropes were reported in Accidents in North American Climbing. Two are below. 

Montezuma, Colorado

On the morning of September 19, 2021, Craig Faulhaber (41) fell to the ground while top-rope soloing Burning Down the Haus (5.13d). Faulhaber, a climber with 12 years of experience, set up his system using a single strand of 9.5mm dynamic rope. He fixed the rope and descended using a Petzl Grigri. For a self-belay, he switched to a Petzl Shunt attached to his harness’ belay loop with a locking, anti-cross-loading carabiner…

Vedauwoo, Wyoming

On August 20, 2019, a 26-year-old male drove to Vedauwoo, Wyoming for some after-work top-rope soloing. He set up a fixed line on To the Moon (5.10b/V0), a 35-foot crack with a bolted anchor. He used a Kong Duck mini-ascender with a paracord sling around his neck to keep the device high, prevent it from weighting the rope dynamically, and to keep it separate from a backup Petzl Micro Traxion…

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ANAC Translations

As we announced last month, the 2022 Accidents in North American Climbing has been translated into Chinese. Earlier, a crew of volunteers translated the 2020 Accidents in North American Climbing into Spanish. Click the links below for more information and download the PDFs.

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The Prescription — Auto Belay Accident—January 2023

The following report will appear in the 2023 edition of Accidents in North American Climbing. You can purchase the 2022 book and many previous editions through the AAC Store.

*A previous version of this Prescription used a photo from the Spot Gyms, however, the accident DID NOT occur at any of the Spot gyms, it occurred in a gym in NC. There has never been an accident of this kind at the Spot gyms.*

Failure To Clip Into Auto Belay

Asheville, North Carolina

This month we have an indoor gym accident of a type that sadly occurs with some frequency. This accident has a happy ending and a powerful lesson.

On December 14, 2022, Adam Herzog (43) miraculously survived a fall in which he suffered severe injuries after failing to clip into an auto belay in a climbing gym. Upon finishing the climb, he simply let go, and fell 45 feet to the ground. “I feel very lucky to be alive and not paralyzed,” said Herzog.

In Herzog’s own words:

“The fall resulted in a skull fracture, bilateral pulmonary contusions, three spinal fractures, right proximal radius fracture, left distal radius fracture, right pilon fracture (ankle shattered), left fibula fracture and a severe concussion.” His recovery is ongoing, “I was in the ICU on a ventilator for two days, and in the hospital for 15 days. I am expected to make a pretty full recovery. The pilon fracture may have some long-term effects and I lost some extension in the right arm.”

His post-accident recollections:  

“I awoke in a fog of drugs. A tube was jammed down my throat. A ventilator forced air into my chest unnaturally with positive pressure. The next day I woke up extubated. My wife was there as always, helping me through another crash. But this one felt bigger than the others.  

Adam rappelling before his accident. PC: Zach Frayser

“The next fifteen days I lay on the slick mattress of a hospital bed, intermittently conscious, asleep, exhausted, confused, and occasionally keenly aware that I had a long recovery ahead. I spent the next several weeks mulling over the events of December 14th. ‘How could I be so stupid?’ I wondered again and again. I beat myself up, apologized to my friends, family, and the staff at the climbing gym. I could not believe I would climb to the top of a route without clipping in. It seemed impossible.

“My friends reassured me. ‘It was an accident, man. It happens.’ A surprising number of people had similar stories of friends who took big falls on auto belays. I googled it and found a number of gym related accident reports.”

Analysis

Herzog writes, “I’ve been a paramedic for 22 years and a nurse for 14. In the medical field we refer to the ‘Swiss Cheese Model’ of medical errors. All the holes line up and boom, somebody dies. My accident was a perfect storm of mistakes that coincided with catastrophic results. They are listed here in the interest of preventing other climbers from falling into the same trap:

1. Hubris: I am not an expert climber. But I am an elite whitewater kayaker. I have been padding for over thirty years. The morning of my fall I paddled the Green River at high water. Once off the Green, I thought my risk exposure was over for the day. I didn’t treat the gym with the same respect I brought to the river. I should have.

2. Heuristics: Heuristics are mental shortcuts. They help us navigate our daily lives and can be useful or harmful. In my mind, “outside = dangerous, inside = safe.” When I climbed outdoors, I neurotically practiced setting up belays, cleaning routes, and rappelling before heading out. But I saw the gym as contrived, manufactured, and fake. A fifty-foot wall is a fifty-foot wall. It doesn’t matter if there are four walls and a ceiling around it. 

3. Inattention: I don’t bring my phone to the climbing wall so that I am not distracted. But the day I fell, I was preparing for a paramedic recertification exam. I studied a book between routes. I wonder if that distraction contributed to my fall.

4. Deviation: I have a system I usually stick to religiously. I climb a route, unclip, walk away, and take 5-10 minutes to rest before I approach the wall again. Before I fell, I climbed halfway up a route and dropped back down to the ground. I unclipped but instead of walking away, I immediately got back on the wall. The small deviation from my normal routine removed the visual cues that usually lead to me clipping into my harness. I am 6’4” so when standing right next to the wall, my line of sight is well above the gate.

5. Redundancy: I was climbing alone so there was no one to double check my system. In top rope and lead belay we constantly check each other’s knots. But on the auto belay it’s up to the climber to double check his or her system. In my haste I neglected to check anything.

6. Focus: The route I was on was a white (marked) 5.10. That grade is the upper limit of what I climb. Because I was at the edge of my ability, I was ultra-focused on the route and holds. That is why I didn’t notice the rope was not retracting as I climbed. Had I been on an easier route I suspect I would have been more attentive.

Let’s wish Adam Herzog a swift recovery. PC: John Parmenter

“These six factors led to my fall. I sit in a wheelchair typing this up, grateful I will only have to live in it for a couple of months. I hope that by writing this, I may prevent future incidents.

“Auto belay devices almost never fail. But people do. As long as humans are involved, mistakes happen. Are there steps gyms could take to prevent other terrible falls? Maybe, but ultimately it is the climber’s responsibility to climb safely. The gym can provide measures to mitigate risk, but we must engage those measures, and know that if we work around them, there is nothing between us and the gym floor.”

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Get Accidents Sent to You Annually

Partner-level members receive the Accidents in North American Climbing book every year. Detailing the most noteworthy climbing and skiing accidents each year. Climbers, rangers, rescue professionals, and editors analyze what went wrong, so you can learn from others’ mistakes.

Rescue & Medical Expense Coverage

Climbing can be a risky pursuit, but one worth the price of admission. Partner-level members receive $7,500 in rescue services and $5,000 in emergency medical expense and coverage. Looking for deeper coverage? Sign up for Leader-level and receive $300k in rescue services.

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From The Editor

Happy New Year! I’m still in Spain, clipping bolts and enjoying the good things that this country has to offer. Chulilla attracts climbers of all levels to its world-class limestone walls and is especially busy during the Christmas and New Year holiday season.

This crag dates back to the 1990s, and as such, should be reasonably clear of loose rock. However, a few days ago, a climber dislodged a baseball-sized stone while we were at the crag. It landed amid a cluster of belayers and onlookers. No one was struck, but the next day, one of my partners took the warning to heart and showed up wearing a helmet for belaying. Last night, a different partner was stuck by a small rock, apparently dislodged by a flock of birds perched on a ledge. An informal count at the crag revealed that about fifty percent of climbers were wearing a helmet.

To wear a helmet is a personal choice. When I started climbing, virtually no one owned, much less wore, a climbing helmet. Helmet wearing was considered by many as unnecessary. These days, I wear helmets while adventure climbing and now bring them to the sport crag. It’s a hard-earned lesson, as over the decades, I’ve had several head-related climbing accidents—one in which I was struck on my helmet-less head by falling ice, two in which I fell and my helmet probably saved my life, and one in which I was struck by falling rock that narrowly missed my head. These accidents took place on ice, alpine, or big wall climbs. — Pete Takeda

For an in-depth and humorous take on helmet technology from our friends @HardIsEasy, see below.

Accidents in North American Climbing to be Translated to Chinese

The cover 2022 Accidents in North American Climbing.

Several leading Chinese climbers from Beijing Xiangpan Outdoor Sports, are planning to translate the 2022 Accidents in North American Climbing. According to Chinese climber Zhou Peng, “All our work is done out of passion and voluntariness, without remuneration, and free of charge for climbers.”

About ANAC

This educational book has been published annually by the American Alpine Club for 75 years. The mission has always been the same: publish stories and analysis of climbing accidents so that other climbers can learn about the causes of accidents and avoid similar problems in the future. All of the stories and photos in the publication are donated by climbers, rescuers, and park rangers who share the same goals.

This publication documents accidents in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and some of the problems described here are unique to those locations. However, in the large majority of cases, these lessons will be useful to rock climbers and mountaineers in China or anywhere else in the world. With this in mind, we are very happy to see this translation of the 2022 edition of the Accidents in North American Climbing book, and we hope that Chinese students and climbers will learn a lot from these stories.

— Dougald MacDonald, Executive Editor, American Alpine Club 

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The Prescription - December 2021

The north face of Pioneer Peak, showing the route attempted in the incident below. X marks approximate site of the anchor where the climbers were impacted by avalanches. Photo by Cecil Sanders

The Prescription - December 2021

Alaska, Chugach Mountains, Pioneer Peak

Two Avalanches – Rope Cut, Anchor Unclipped

We know that many people don’t read every single report in Accidents—particularly ones that are far from home and more than three pages long. But we want to call your attention to the story highlighted here, both for the lessons it imparts and for the drama of the events—fortunately they ended without a fatality or very serious injuries. A condensed outline follows. We highly recommend reading the full report, starting on page 20 of this year’s book or at this page on our publications website.

On April 15, Fallon Connolly, 26, and Simon Frez-Albrecht, age 28 (both experienced climbers), started up the nearly 6,000-foot north face of Pioneer Peak, northeast of Anchorage, at 5:45 a.m. It had been 37°F at the car. Near the second ice band on the long snow and ice route, about 4,000 feet above the start, Fallon observed signs of what appeared to be fairly recent avalanches on the gully walls. Simon was about 50 feet ahead of Fallon and had nearly reached a position to anchor for the next pitch when he noticed a very small wet loose avalanche come tumbling over the ice above. He yelled down to warn Fallon. Simon was standing to one side of the gully, and it didn’t hit him, but it all washed directly over Fallon; she planted both tools firmly and put her head down to let the snow pass. They estimated the flow lasted 60 seconds.

After the flow stopped, Fallon continued up to where Simon was waiting and they moved together perhaps 50 feet up and to the opposite side of the gully, where there were some obvious cracks in the rock. Here they built an anchor and, given what they had observed, prepared to descend from this point. Simon bounce-tested their bail anchor and then set up their brand-new 7.8mm ropes (pink and green) and threaded them through his device for a rappel. Fallon also pre-rigged her device on the rappel ropes. A number 2 Camalot they had placed temporarily was clipped to the ropes as backup, with a non-locker on a 60cm sling. Fallon remained clipped to the cord masterpoint in the anchor with a locking carabiner as Simon began to rappel. When Simon was about halfway down, Fallon yelled to warn him about another avalanche coming over the ice pitch above.

What followed was an extraordinary “series of unfortunate events”:

Brand-new rope cut during this incident.

• Fallon was knocked off her feet by the slide and left hanging from her tether clipped to the anchor. Her gloves and glasses disappeared.

• Their pink rappel rope broke (likely cut against a sharp edge of rock), but the knot joining the ropes jammed in Fallon’s pre-rigged rappel device, keeping the other rope attached to her and thus to the anchor.

• Simon was pummeled by avalanche debris for one to three minutes. Only a tangle in the green rope kept him from being pulled to the end of the rope by the debris.

• As the slide ended, Fallon stood up at the anchor. Before she could reinforce her tether or anchor the green rope, a second avalanche rumbled over the ice above. This time, Fallon was pulled from the anchor and tumbled down the slope.

Damage to Fallon’s harness when she was hit by avalanches at the rappel stance on Pioneer Peak. The harness likely would have sustained many kilonewtons of force to be damaged this way, yet both it and the anchor held.

• Simon heard and saw the second slide coming and was able to shelter behind a rock outcrop, yet the debris plucked him from this stance and he fell another 100 feet down the snow gully. Fallon slid and tumbled a total of 300 to 400 feet.

Very fortunately, neither climber was buried, swept all the way down the mountain, or seriously injured, and they were able to self-rescue to the road.

In his analysis of the incident, Simon outlined numerous important but subtle clues they missed when they decided to climb this route on a relatively warm day. “We felt we had pieced together enough information to make an informed decision,” he wrote. “I suspected the shed cycle had already happened in the previous warm, sunny days, so there wouldn’t be a significant amount of loose/available snow left on the mountain to slide onto us. I didn’t consider that the freezing at night had been enough to keep the snow locked in place, poised above us.

“Probably the single most obvious clue we missed,” he continued, “was that it had stayed cloudy the night before our climb, preventing the radiant cooling that had dropped night time temps in the previous days. This kept the snowpack wet and near the tipping point when the weak sun struck the face for a couple of hours through the clouds.”

Ten days after the accident, in colder conditions, Simon climbed back to their anchor to try to determine what had happened. He found a sharp edge where the pink rope, oscillating under load during the slide, likely had cut. However, most of the anchor was intact. Fallon’s tether and locking carabiner, which had fallen with her during the second avalanche, also were undamaged. “Why had she come unclipped from the anchor?” Simon wondered. “The only conclusion we can draw is that the screw-gate locker with which Fallon clipped her tether to the master point must have jiggled to the unlocked position during the first avalanche. Then, when she unweighted the tether, the locker must have shifted into a position where it could unclip itself when the second avalanche pushed her back onto her tether.”

A mock setup of pre-rigged rappel devices, where two climbers have set up both of their rappel devices before the first starts down. (Anchor tethers and backups are omitted for clarity.) Click the photo to find a good article exploring the pros and cons of pre-rigging rappels. Photo courtesy of AlpineSavvy.com

Simon might have slid all the way down the mountain during the first avalanche, when the pink rope broke, except for one extra step the two took while preparing to rappel. “Over the last year or two, I have been making a conscious effort to increase my safety margin while climbing,” Simon wrote. “This includes tying knots in the ends of ropes during rappels, using a rappel backup, and using autolocking carabiners and assisted braking belay devices more often. I had recently been toying with pre-rigging rappel devices as well, but was not doing this consistently. For whatever reason, this was one of those times we pre-rigged Fallon’s belay device on the rope, and by snagging the knot joining the ropes after our pink rope cut, it happened to keep me alive.”

Again, we encourage you to read the full report in ANAC 2021 or find it here. We’re grateful to climbers like Simon and Fallon who choose to share such stories, which can be painful or even embarrassing to recount. They teach us that the little things sometimes can make all the difference.

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VIA FERRATA LANYARDS RECALLED

In mid-November, Petzl announced a recall of Scorpio Eashook via ferrata lanyards, sold either individually or as part of a via ferrata kit (lanyard, harness, helmet), because of possible malfunctions in the lanyard’s carabiners. The recall affects lanyards with certain serial numbers and manufactured since January 1, 2021; customers who purchased these lanyards are urged to stop using them immediately. See Petzl’s website for details and compensation information.

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ROCKFALL AND RESCUE IN ZION NATIONAL PARK

Aaron, 42, and Ian, 16 are a father-son team of adventurous climbers from Tucson, Arizona. In June 2021, with lots of exploratory climbing experience under their belts, they headed to Zion National Park to attempt a relatively obscure route on a cliff informally known as Mt. Greer. On the 12th pitch, gunning for the top of the formation, Aaron was leading a gully and chimney system when the rock under his feet crumbled, sending sandstone blocks tumbling down the gully toward his son. Listen to the new Sharp End podcast to hear all about how they got into this predicament—and how they got out.

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The monthly Prescription newsletter is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club. Questions? Suggestions? Write to us at [email protected].

The Prescription - November 2021

The Prescription - November 2021

PETE TAKEDA TO EDIT ACCIDENTS BOOK

The American Alpine Club (AAC) is excited to announce Pete Takeda as the new editor of Accidents in North American Climbing. Pete is a longtime climber and expert in all forms of the sport, from single-pitch routes to big walls to mountain climbs around the world. Based in Colorado, Pete has worked as a writer and filmmaker (with a focus on climbing) for much of his life. He also has been a volunteer and Board Director for the AAC, the American Mountain Guides Association, and other organizations. After seven years at the helm of Accidents, AAC executive editor Dougald MacDonald is stepping aside to put more time into the American Alpine Journal and the AAC’s publications website.

Pete already has begun the transition into his role, starting work on the 2022 edition of Accidents. We asked him to share a few thoughts about the publication and his new job.

Q. When did you first start reading Accidents in North American Climbing?

Pete: I started reading Accidents in the mid-1980s. I had just started with serious climbing and found the accident accounts cautionary, insightful, and morbidly fascinating.

Q. What attracted you to the possibility of editing the publication? 

Pete: In 2019, I interviewed Jed Williamson as part of a video project for the AAC. Jed was editor of Accidents in North American Mountaineering (changed in 2016 to its current and more accurate title) for 40 years. He spoke about the publication’s history and provided insights into how accidents have followed trends within our sport. He also had a fascinating analysis of the commonalities of most climbing accidents.    

When the job posting came up, I got excited. Not only was it a chance to become more connected with the AAC, but also it dovetailed with my current book project, and the Accidents editor position is essentially a part-time job, one that gives me time to write—and climb.

Q. One of the things that came across in your interviews—and in your writing—is that you seem like an eager student of climbing, even after so many years in the sport. Do you still feel like you have a lot to learn? 

Pete: I love climbing. I’ve given my life to it. Its disciplines are myriad, and one can never master them all. Each style informs the other. To thrive—and in some cases merely survive—one needs to continually learn. While climbing is unified by an elemental struggle against gravity, each game within climbing has its own physical and mental demands, and a distinct set of rewards. In an age of specialization, climbing offers the practitioner many chances to be a beginner again. When one takes on a different game within the sport, one is reminded of why they fell in love with it in the first place. To me, being a student of climbing for almost 40 years is the greatest gift I can imagine.

Q. We searched the archives, and you haven’t ever appeared in Accidents. But have you ever had a climbing accident yourself—or witnessed one—and how do you think this experience might affect your work as editor?

Pete: I’ve had my share of hospital visits, participated in rescues, self-rescued, and witnessed a dozen serious accidents—some with tragic results. I myself have almost been killed a half dozen times—avalanche, rockfall, exposure, and a few really bad falls. I’ve broken bones, lost teeth, starved, been parched, had AMS, gone snow blind, cut finger tendons, suffered superficial frostbite, and have had three major surgeries. Through all this, I’ve managed to self-rescue, or at least drive myself to the hospital.  

“Big Wall Pete” on the cover of a 1993 issue of Climbing.

I’ve also trained as an EMT, so I have a basic understanding of first-line medicine. My body has fortunately survived my youthful (and middle aged) ego. I’ve gained a healthy respect for climbing hazards, and I do not hesitate to ask partners and professionals for advice and training on best practices. My experiences will hopefully provide a sound understanding of accident mechanisms across all the disciplines of climbing. Having suffered loss and injury, those same experiences should also provide a sense of compassion. 

Q. As a longtime reader, you’ve seen some changes in the book. Do you have thoughts on how it might continue to evolve under your leadership?  

Pete: I have a few ideas, but I’ll need to get up to speed and learn the job. One thing to note is that Accidents in North American Climbing represents more than 60 years of accident data and anecdotal descriptions. These are invaluable and should be put to more use. I feel that trends within climbing can be tracked and analyses made. Perhaps stronger partnerships with educational and commercial entities can create and inform existing curricula. We’re reaching the point where, with the explosion of popularity in climbing, organizations could really begin to use this information.  

Q. People start climbing in such different ways than they did when you started a few decades ago. How can Accidents reach more modern climbers and help to educate them?

Pete: More than any other development, the indoor gym has revolutionized climbing. Most climbers today start climbing in gyms. Some can climb incredibly hard yet lack the very basics we once took as a given. Before 1995 or so, most climbers cut their teeth outside. We learned to use hardware and how to stay safe—or suffered the consequences. My hope is that Accidents might emphasize not only the bad things that happen, but also provide ongoing analyses, inform curricula, and work in partnership with groups like the American Mountain Guides Association, the Climbing Wall Association, outdoor companies, and so on to help educate new climbers.

Pete can be reached at [email protected].

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SHARP END PODCAST: HAZARDS OF INFORMAL INSTRUCTION

Nick Tollison had been climbing for about three years before he headed to Clark Canyon, outside of Mammoth, California, with a friend and a more experienced acquaintance who had offered to mentor them in multi-pitch climbing. After warming up on some single-pitch climbs, the trio decided to break a long 5.8 pitch into two leads, with a midway hanging belay. During the descent, confusion at the midway anchor led to a potentially fatal fall. Learn more about this accident and the aftermath in Episode 70 of the Sharp End podcast.

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ROCKY TALKIE SEARCH & RESCUE AWARD

REMINDER: Applications are being taken for the Rocky Talkie Search & Rescue Award, which will distribute a total of $25,000 to four nonprofit teams from the U.S. or Canada that were involved in a 2021 incident demonstrating their skill, passion, and dedication. Finalists will be chosen by a committee of Rocky Talkie, AAC, and SAR professionals, and the climbing community will vote on the ranking of the final stories. If you’re involved with a deserving Search and Rescue team—or if you were rescued in 2021—please consider sharing your story. Learn more and apply for the Rocky Talkie Search & Rescue Award here!

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The monthly Prescription newsletter is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club. Questions? Suggestions? Write to us at [email protected].

The Prescription - October 2021

Cleaning The Fury, the route highlighted in this incident. In order to prevent her swing from pulling the belayer of her feet, this climber has clipped in direct to her lowest draw and then unclipped the belayer’s side of the rope. Once the belayer takes up slack, the climber can clean the draw without causing the belayer to swing. Photo by Johnny Nowell

The Prescription - October 2021

Kentucky, Red River Gorge

Cleaning Error – Belayer Dragged By Climber

My partner (49) and I (33) are very experienced climbers. I had climbed at the Red River Gorge several times, and though it was my partner’s first time here, he has climbed and belayed plenty of steep routes. My background is multi-pitch trad, and his is all sport. We are about the same weight.

On September 8, my partner led The Fury (5.11c sport) at Bibliothek in the Muir Valley. I was tired and didn’t feel like climbing the route, so we decided he would clean it while lowering off. He was clipped into the belayer’s side of the rope with a quickdraw (a.k.a. tramming), as is standard practice when cleaning overhanging routes. At the last quickdraw he said, “You’re going to swing,” so I weighted the rope as much as I could before he cleaned the lowest draw.

I was prepared to swing a few feet, but when he removed the last draw from the route, he was still clipped into my side of the rope. This caused both of us to swing about 20 feet backward. I slammed into a small boulder lying on the ground and then hit a tree. I made contact with one leg just above the ankle, and I think I hit my foot, too. It all hurt right away. I was able to stand and walk slowly, so we hiked out.

I could barely walk for two weeks, and it took months before I was back to climbing. It was not fractured, but likely a severe bone bruise and tendonitis. (Source: Amanda Friedman.)

ANALYSIS

Cleaning the last draw while lowering from an overhanging route is always potentially hazardous, as the climber generally will swing out from the wall. To avoid pulling the belayer into a swing as well, the cleaning climber should completely disconnect from the belayer’s side of the rope before letting go from the wall. The belayer can then brace for the swing before the climber unclips the lowest bolt.

Another option is to leave the first draw on the route while cleaning and then remove it from the ground with a stick clip. (There are video tutorials online for how to do this with most types of stick clips. Here’s a demonstration of quickdraw removal with the popular Betastick Evo.) Muir Valley even has a few stick clips available for climbers to borrow, located underneath the awning by the parking lot. (Source: The Editors.)

This report appears in the 2021 edition of ANAC, where you’ll also find a Know the Ropes feature article describing the ins and outs of cleaning steep routes. ANAC 2019 described a similar cleaning incident in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. Read it here.

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THE ROCKY TALKIE SEARCH AND RESCUE AWARD

Photo of YOSAR in action by Drew Smith

The AAC has partnered with Rocky Talkie, makers of climber-friendly two-way radios, to highlight search and rescue teams engaged in outstanding missions during 2021. The Rocky Talkie Search and Rescue Award will distribute a total of $25,000 to four nonprofit teams from the U.S. or Canada whose stories from 2021 demonstrate their skill, passion, and dedication. Either SAR teams or rescued individuals can apply; applications are due by January 31, 2022.

The four finalists will be chosen by a committee of Rocky Talkie, AAC, and SAR professionals, and the climbing community will then vote on the ranking of the final stories. The top vote-getting team will earn $10,000 to support their operations! The finalist’s rescue stories will be described in the 2022 edition of Accidents in North American Climbing.

Nonprofit search and rescue organizations perform many of the rescues covered each year in ANAC, and we are happy to help highlight their stories and raise some money to support their vital missions.

Learn more and apply for the Rocky Talkie Search and Rescue Award here!

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BACKCOUNTRY SKI REPAIR: A QUICK REVIEW

Ski touring and winter mountaineering season is right around the corner, so now is a good time to review your repair kit for extended backcountry outings. The sub-three-minute video shown here, featuring IFMGA guide Joey Thompson, offers a quick review of the repair gear he carries and some basic ways to use it. For a deeper dive into the topic, check out this online video and article from ski guide and avalanche forecaster Matt Schonwald. Matt wrote the featured Know the Ropes article about spring and summer avalanches in ANAC 2020. If you missed it, you can read it here.

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TWO ROPES CUT YET THE LEADER SURVIVES

The brand-new Sharp End podcast features a terrifying fall on a long route in El Potrero Chico, Mexico. Rockfall on the ninth pitch of a 5.11 bolted route cut both of the leader’s ropes, leading to a very long fall that fortunately ended on a ledge. The climber, Foster Denney, wrote about this incident in ANAC 2019, and now he has spoken about the fall and his rescue with Sharp End hostess Ashley Saupe.

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The monthly Prescription newsletter is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club. Questions? Suggestions? Write to us at [email protected].

The Prescription - September 2021

Photo of Leaning Tower by Meros Felsenmaus

The Prescription - September 2021

Yosemite Valley, Leaning Tower

Two climbers attempting the West Face of Leaning Tower in June decided to descend after arriving at Ahwahnee Ledge (the top of the fourth pitch), due to excessive heat and sun. While rappelling the very overhanging first pitch with the haulbag, Climber A rappelled over a small roof and got too far away from the wall to reach the ledge at the bottom of the pitch, despite clipping some directionals during his descent. (The West Face route is approached by a ramp that traverses onto the face, so the first anchor is far above the ground.) Since the climber could not reach the ramp, he continued rappelling to a lower ledge. This ledge had no permanent anchor, and Climber A was not carrying the right pieces to construct a solid anchor. With no way to anchor the haul bag, he could not detach it from the ropes nor reascend the ropes to reach the ramp.

During their descent, the two climbers had called Yosemite Search and Rescue to request some advice. Climbing rangers were able to assist them over the phone with their first rappels, but soon decided to send SAR members to Leaning Tower in case further assistance was needed. When SAR members arrived, they fixed a rope and lowered it to Climber A, and he was able to leave his haul bag and jumar out. They then secured the team’s rappel ropes to the ledge so the second climber could rappel directly to the approach ramp. The ropes and haulbag were retrieved later that day.

ANALYSIS

The Leaning Tower is one of the steepest big walls in North America, the lower half of which overhangs at an average angle of 110 degrees. The West Face has been the site of numerous rappelling difficulties, and while Climber A did utilize some directionals, he extended one piece with a long runner and soon found himself too far from the cliff to place more directional pieces. (Source: Yosemite National Park Climbing Rangers.)

The report above and the how-to sidebar that follows will appear in the 2021 edition of ANAC, which is being mailed to AAC members this month.

THE ART OF THE BAIL

Rappelling with a Haulbag: Advice from a Yosemite Ranger

Bailing off a steep route is a nearly inevitable outcome if you climb enough walls, so it’s best to know how to get down safely before you find yourself dangling in space, wishing you knew what to do. Yosemite climbing rangers advise the following techniques for rappelling overhanging routes with a haulbag.

(1) The first person descending should rappel on a fixed single strand of the rappel ropes with a Grigri or a similar locking device, clipping both strands of the ropes to directional pieces to keep them close to the wall. They should also carry equipment to reascend the fixed rope in case of getting too far from the wall or rappelling past the anchor.

(2) When the first person arrives at the lower anchor, they should feed out five to ten feet of slack rope, tie a knot with both ropes, and clip the knot to the anchor. This will close the system for the second rappeller and allow the second person to pull themself into the wall to unclip directionals on their way down and to pull into the anchor at the end of the rappel.

(3) The second rappeller should untie the fixed strand from the upper anchor or undo any knot-blocks, and then rappel both strands as normal, using a tube-style device (such as an ATC) and a third-hand backup. They can unclip and clean the directional pieces as they descend. The second person down should carry the team’s heaviest gear (haulbag, etc.), because the tube-style device produces a smoother rappel than a Grigri. They should not have any reason to reascend the ropes because they will be fixed to the lower anchor. —Christian Black, Yosemite National Park Climbing Ranger

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ANAC 2021 IS COMING SOON!

Production delays at the printer pushed back the delivery schedule for the new edition of Accidents in North American Climbing, but the books have finally arrived at our mailing house in Denver. Boxes are now being filled and books will start going into the mail and onto retailers’ shelves over the next couple of weeks. Thanks for your patience!

The 2021 Accidents includes a new 15-page section documenting and explaining avalanche incidents involving backcountry skiers and snowboarders. We hope you’ll find it to be a useful addition—let us know what you think at [email protected].

Not yet a member of the American Alpine Club? You can order a print or digital (PDF) copy of the 2021 book at the AAC online store.

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ALTITUDE AND VISION SURGERY

Researchers at the University of Washington, University of New Mexico, and the University of Tübingen (Germany) are conducting a research survey to estimate how commonly vision changes occur while traveling to high altitude after vision correction surgery. The goal is to gather information that can help other climbers and trekkers choose the right surgery for them. If you’ve had vision correction surgery and have since traveled to high altitude, you can help by completing an anonymous online survey. Further information about the project and the survey itself can be found by clicking on this link.  

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DANGEROUS HAILSTORM IN THE BLACK HILLS

A sudden July storm caught Ed and three other climbers near the top of Waves, a two-pitch route near Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. In the face of 50 mph gusts, plunging temperatures, and golf-ball-size hail, getting off the climb was a test of experience, concentration, and teamwork, as you’ll hear in Episode 68 of the Sharp End podcast.

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The monthly Prescription newsletter is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club. Questions? Suggestions? Write to us at [email protected].

The Prescription - August 2021

Belayer is carried to a helicopter landing zone by Hellgate Cliffs in Utah, using a rope bag as an improvised litter. She had borrowed the leader’s helmet for belaying the pitch, which likely saved her from a much more serious injury. Photo courtesy of Salt Lake County Search and Rescue

The Prescription - August 2021

HEADS UP!

Below are two reports from the upcoming edition of Accidents in North American Climbing that share many similarities. Both involved climber-caused rockfall that hit belayers standing on the ground. Both were at sport climbing areas, where many belayers decide not to wear helmets—though, very fortunately, one of these belayers had borrowed the leader’s helmet because of concern about loose rock. In both cases, the belayer was using an assisted-braking belay device (ABD), and, in one case, this very likely saved the leader from a ground fall and significant injuries. Though rare, these incidents should make climbers think about the value of ABDs—and helmets—for belaying single-pitch climbs.

Belayer Hit by Rockfall

Utah, Wasatch Range, Little Cottonwood Canyon

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 climber.

They chose Monkey Paw (5.9), a single-pitch sport climb, for their first route of the day. Jake was leading, and he got about four bolts up the route (approximately 50 feet off the ground) when he reached for what looked like a good hold. When he weighted the hold, a torso-size rock detached from the wall. It split into three pieces, and one of them landed on Avery, knocking her unconscious. Jake fell approximately 10 feet, pulling Avery about a foot off the ground. She was using a Grigri, which caught Jake’s fall.

Avery regained consciousness quickly and noticed she had an open fracture on her right arm. She managed to lower her partner with her left hand, and he untied her from the belay system. She had post-traumatic amnesia, repeating questions multiple times. They called 911 at about 10:20 a.m. United Fire Authority paramedics and Salt Lake County Search and Rescue responded to the scene within 30 minutes. They gave her pain medication and improvised a litter with Jake’s rope bag in order to carry her about 100 feet down and away from the base of the rock, where Lifeflight could hoist Avery and transport her to the hospital for treatment.

She had two broken bones in her right arm that needed surgery, plus lacerations on her forehead and leg. She also had bleeding in her brain, but managed to avoid brain surgery. Jake suffered only minor scrapes and bruises during the fall.

ANALYSIS

Avery did not have a helmet, so Jake let her use his, knowing there might be rockfall in the area. If Avery had not been wearing Jake’s helmet, her head injuries could have been much worse and possibly fatal. The belay stance for this route was small and surrounded by steep, rocky slopes. Otherwise, she may have been able to move out of the way of the falling rock. (Source: Avery Guest.)

Rockfall Onto Belayer

Colorado, Rifle Mountain Park, Ruckman Cave

At approximately 4 p.m. on September 26, a climber started up The Promise, a 5.12c sport route on the left side of the Ruckman Cave. Just before a ledge at the start of the steep climbing on the route, the climber pulled onto a chalked-up jug that ripped out of the wall. The broken jug, along with more rocks and debris, rained down on the belayer. The climber’s fall was held at the first bolt of the route, and he slammed into the wall sideways, from which he sustained soreness and bruising. The belayer narrowly avoided being hit in the head or upper body by the debris and took all of the damage to his right leg. Fortunately, a visit to the emergency department confirmed no broken bones. (Source: Climber’s report at MountainProject.com.)

ANALYSIS

This incident highlights a paradox often seen at sport climbing areas: The climbers who choose to wear helmets while sport climbing more often are the ones leading or top-roping the climb, not necessarily the belayers and bystanders below the route. Yet, arguably, the belayer is much more likely to be hit by rockfall, which is fairly common in Rifle Mountain Park. More common than helmets at Rifle’s crags are assisted-braking belay devices, which can be a lifesaver in accidents like this one, when the belayer may be severely distracted or even incapacitated by rockfall. (Source: The Editors.)

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Granite Peak from the south, showing A) Location of climber after fall from the Snowbridge, the saddle directly above; B) site of rappel anchor failure; and C) Position of fallen climber. Photo by Gallatin County Search and Rescue

MONTANA’S DANGEROUS HIGH POINT

In the two most recent editions of ANAC, we’ve published reports about numerous incidents on Granite Peak in Montana. One of the more difficult state high points, Granite Peak has semi-technical and technical climbs on several of its faces and ridges. Summer is peak season for the mountain, and it’s worth reading our reports before heading up there.

Rockfall, Anchor Failure (2021 ANAC): Natural rockfall during an attempt on the Notch Couloir and north ridge destroyed a belay anchor, with nearly disastrous results. 

Fall on Snow and Anchor Failure (2021 ANAC): Two falls occurred on September 5 on the east ridge, the standard route up Granite Peak, one of them resulting in a fatality.  

Unroped Falls in Class III/IV Terrain (2020 ANAC): Two falls occurred within the same week in August on the Southwest Ramp route of Granite Peak.

Fall on Ice | Inadequate Gear, Failure to Self-Arrest (2020 ANAC): Two climbers became disoriented after summiting by the east ridge, bivouacked below the summit, and then rappelled the north face to the Granite Glacier, for which they were ill-equipped.

DON’T BLAME THE ROCK

In the June Prescription, we posted a short list of tips for optimizing cam placements, originally published in ANAC 2019. Several climbers from Devil’s Lake in Wisconsin took exception to our generalization about cam placements in the Lake’s “clean but slippery” cracks. AAC member Matthew Clausen elaborated in the following letter to the editor, making some great points about the dangers of blaming the rock for cams that don’t hold.

Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin. Photo by Matthew Clausen

Like many climbers, I pay attention to the AAC’s Accidents in North American Climbing. I value the continued learning required to climb safely. While reading June’s “Prescription,” I felt concerned about this warning: "Numerous reports document that well-placed cams can pull out of wet or dirty rock or even perfectly clean but slippery stone like Yosemite granite or Devil’s Lake quartzite."

In more than a decade of climbing at Devil's Lake, I have never seen a cam slip out of a good placement. All reports of this happening, that I am aware of, were better explained by bad placement upon review. Most often, the failed cams were in an outward flaring crack or without the lobes properly engaged.

I agree with the AAC recommendations that climbers continue to learn more about what makes for a good placement, seek qualified instruction and mentoring, and remember to back up crucial placements. The learning process and experience help us tell fact from myth.

Myths about climbing skills are potentially dangerous. If climbers wrongly believe cams are unsafe in the Baraboo Range’s hard, smooth quartzite, they may feel compelled to:

1) Use less efficient gear for protection, or 
2) Commit to unnecessary runouts, or 
3) Become lax about the subjective hazard of poorly placed cams because they don’t believe a good placement is even possible.

Rather than blaming the geology, we need to combat the complacency of cam placements: These are not magical devices that will hold a fall in any crack. We will bear responsibility for the quality of our decisions.

Sincerely,

Matthew Clausen, Madison, Wisconsin

THE SHARP END VISITS COLORADO

Listen to Episode 67 of the Sharp End Podcast for the story of a helicopter rescue on the long Ellingwood Ridge of La Plata Peak, a Colorado 14er.

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WANTED: CLIMBERS WITH INJURED KNEES

Researchers at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School are seeking climbers to participate in a research survey looking at climbing-related knee injuries. You are eligible to participate in this study if you are 18 to 89 years old, climb at least four times per year, and have sustained a knee injury in a climbing-related incident. The anonymous online survey asks injured people about how much they climb and where they climb, how the knee injury happened, and how they recovered. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete.

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The monthly Accidents Bulletin is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club.

Accidentes de escalada en Norteamérica

Bienvenido a la inauguración de la edición en español de Accidents in North American Climbing. 

Desde 1949, American Alpine Club ha publicado este libro anualmente. Nuestro objetivo es ayudar a que nuestros lectores escalen de manera más segura, es por eso que compartimos historias y lecciones de accidentes de escalada en todo Norteamérica. Hoy, con esta traducción hecha por primera vez del libro de Accidentes, buscamos compartir estas lecciones con escaladores de habla hispana en todo el mundo. 

Los reportes en este libro documentan y analizan accidentes de escalada técnica y de esquí de montaña que ocurrieron durante el 2019. No incluimos todos los accidentes de escalada, no obstante, intentamos reportar los incidentes más educativos. (Las “Tablas” en la parte trasera de este documento brindan información básica de más accidentes). La traducción al español es un poco más corta que el libro en Inglés. Sin embargo, todos los reportes que hemos publicado en inglés se pueden encontrar en publications.americanalpineclub.org. 

Nuestros traductores utilizaron los términos y frases de escalada que se escuchan más frecuentemente en México. En el futuro, planeamos incluir un glosario de términos de escalada empleados en varios países de habla hispana. 

Adidas Outdoor patrocina generosamente Accidents in North American Climbing en español. Estamos muy agradecidos con adidas por apoyar la educación de escaladores en todo el mundo. 

Favor de compartir este PDF con amigos, cordadas y organizaciones de escalada. Las correcciones y solicitudes para enviarnos reportes de accidentes en México, Estados Unidos y Canadá son bienvenidas. Usted puede ponerse en contacto con nosotros por medio del correo: [email protected]. 

Le deseamos una escalada segura y feliz.

Welcome to the inaugural Spanish edition of Accidents in North American Climbing! 

This book has been published annually by the American Alpine Club since 1949, sharing stories and lessons from climbing accidents throughout North America. Now, with this first-ever translation of the Accidents book, we aim to share these lessons with Spanish-speaking climbers throughout the world.

The reports in this book analyze technical climbing and ski mountaineering accidents during the year 2019. The Spanish edition is slightly shorter than the original English book. You can find every report we’ve ever published, in English, at publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Our translators used the climbing terms and phrases commonly used in Mexico. In the future, we plan to develop a glossary of climbing terminology for various other Spanish-speaking countries and regions, including Puerto Rico. 

This project received generous sponsorship from adidas Outdoor. We are very grateful to adidas for supporting the education of climbers around the world. 

Please share this PDF with your friends, climbing partners, and climbing organizations. For more info, contact us at [email protected].

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¡Descarga el libro aquí!

Este PDF se puede descargar de manera gratuita. Favor de compartirlo con amigos y cordadas.

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Los Voluntarios

La edición en español de Accidents in North American Climbing fue traducida por un equipo muy dedicado de voluntarios de tres países. Sus nombres están enlistados a continuación. ¡Sin ellos, esto no habría sido posible!

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Download the book here!

The Spanish PDF is free to download. Please share this book with your friends and climbing partners.

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Volunteers

The Spanish edition of Accidents in North American Climbing was translated by a hard-working team of volunteers in three countries. Their names are listed below. We could not have done this without them!

Omar Gaytán, director 

Symon Ardila

Austen Bernier

Bernardo Beteta

Néstor Y. Durán Nungaray

Alma Esteban

Tiffany Hensley

Molly Herber

Jasna Hodzic

The Prescription - July 2021

The Prescription - July 2021

ACCIDENTS BOOK PUBLISHED IN SPANISH

¡Bienvenido a Accidentes de escalada en Norteamérica!

With the generous support of adidas Outdoor, the AAC has translated the 2020 edition of Accidents in North American Climbing into Spanish. Since 1949, our goal has been to help readers become safer climbers by sharing stories and lessons from accidents throughout North America. Now, with this first-ever translation of the Accidents book, we will share these lessons with Spanish-speaking climbers throughout the world.

Accidentes de escalada en Norteamérica was translated by a team of volunteers. Bernardo Beteta, a Mexican-born climbing guide now in Boulder, Colorado, explained his interest in helping with the translation: “Climbing is a growing sport in Latin American countries, and there's a fast-growing Spanish-speaking population in the United States. It’s important to make climbing literature available to them.” Molly Herber from Lander, Wyoming, an ANAC regional volunteer and translator, said, “We're all safer and better climbers when we pool our knowledge and experience to learn from others, and making Accidents available in Spanish is one part of that important effort.”

Since Mexico is part of North America and has long been included in our reports, the translators chose the climbing terms and phrases commonly used by Mexican climbers. These terms may be different in other Spanish-speaking countries and regions, and in the future we plan to develop an international glossary of climbing terminology. We hope this publication will be useful to climbers all over the Spanish-speaking world and perhaps will inspire similar educational efforts in other countries.

The 114-page PDF of Accidentes de escalada en Norteamérica is available now and can be downloaded for free. Please share this book with your friends, climbing partners, and climbing organizations.

We welcome corrections and suggestions. Contact us at [email protected].

¡Descarga el libro aquí!

Este PDF se puede descargar de manera gratuita. Favor de compartirlo con amigos y cordadas.

Download the book here!

The PDF is free to download. Please share it with your friends and climbing partners.

El Jefe

The Spanish edition of Accidents in North American Climbing was translated by a hard-working team of volunteers in three countries: Symon Ardila, Austen Bernier, Bernardo Beteta, Omar Gaytán, Néstor Y. Durán Nungaray, Alma Esteban, Molly Herber, and Jasna Hodzic. Climber and activist Tiffany Hensley played a crucial role in getting this project started.

Early in the project, Omar Gaytán emerged as a leader : He is a talented climber and candidate for a master’s degree in translation and interpretation, and was incredibly dedicated to the Accidents translation. He’s also co-creator of a cool Mexican climbing podcast, La Mera Beta. We asked Omar, el jefe of this project, to tell us a little about himself:

I’m Omar Gaytán from Juárez, Chihuahua, México. Thanks to my dad, basketball was all I wanted to do throughout my childhood, because my dad loves to play it and he’s also a huge fan of the sport. When I was 15, I discovered climbing—I’m 30 now, and I don’t think I will ever stop climbing. I just love it so much.  

I studied in Juárez until I went to college in El Paso, Texas. I majored in communications with a double minor in translation and French, then moved to Guadalajara to study for a master’s degree in translation and interpretation. The reason I chose this career comes from my very first trip to Hueco Tanks back in 2006. I was 15 and I remember looking at some smiley dirtbags working on their computers before spending the day climbing. Their smiles made me realize that I wanted to dedicate my time to something I love and at the same time make a good living—yes, that’s my personal interpretation of the American Dream.

I’ve been lucky to climb at many different areas in the United Sates, and in México I know pretty much all the major climbing destinations. The climbing I like the most is near my hometown, Juárez. The sport climbing here is amazing and still blooming. I feel like I still have a lot to learn about climbing, and that’s exactly the aspect of both my climbing and my career that I love the most: You never stop learning and growing. I’m becoming a better translator every time I translate documents, the same way I get better at climbing every time I send a project.   

I feel happy to have been able to collaborate with the American Alpine Club on this project. There is nothing better than working on something you love so much, and, on top of that, spread the word about safety in climbing. I am forever thankful for this opportunity, and I hope we only get better at this in the years to come.

STORIES FROM MÉXICO

Mexico is part of North America, of course, but it hasn’t always been a big part of Accidents in North American Climbing. One side benefit of this translation project, we hope, will be increased access to information about climbing in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking areas of North America, including Puerto Rico. In this way, we hope the AAC can help climbers learn more about both the opportunities and hazards in these beautiful areas.

The upcoming ANAC 2021 includes a single report from Mexico, a tragic story involving two U.S. climbers and an unusual accident on a big wall in Chihuahua. Here’s a preview.

Ledge Collapse | Severed Rope

Chihuahua, Basaseachic Falls National Park, El Gigante

On March 6, my best friend Nolan Smythe, 26, and I were on the second day of a free ascent of Logical Progression, a 28-pitch 5.13 big-wall sport climb on El Gigante. Nolan was leading pitch 14. The sun had just gone down, and we had two moderate 5.11 pitches to go before our next bivy. He made it about 80 feet into the pitch and then, after manteling onto a large ledge, the refrigerator-size block of volcanic rock dislodged from under his feet. As he was falling, the rope was cut by the huge block and he fell all the way to the ground.

I was left alone on the wall with a shortened lead line and a limited number of draws. A three-day storm was forecast to start the next afternoon. Below me was a sizable traverse that I wasn’t confident I’d be able to descend safely while keeping my bivy kit. On top of that, we had rappelled in to start the climb, and I didn’t know the walk-out exit for the canyon; this exit route also passes very near several poppy fields run by the local cartel.

Instead, I started roped soloing up to our planned bivy. I primarily used a stick clip, but on occasion free climbing was necessary. I alerted a good friend, Sergio “Tiny” Almada, about the situation via my inReach, and he started toward the wall with another Mexican climber, José David “Bicho” Martinez, planning to rappel in so I could jumar the last 1,200 feet to the top. They arrived as the rain started, and we left my kit behind to jug out quickly. We returned a week later, after the body recovery, and cleaned all of my gear off the wall.

ANALYSIS

All told, this seemed like a freak accident more than anything else. I recall rappelling past the same ledge earlier with a large haul bag. It looked concerning, but after giving it a thorough test, I deemed it solid. Nolan must have had the same thoughts during his lead. It had been snowing for three days before we rappelled in, and this accident happened three days after the snow stopped. It is possible that a freeze-thaw cycle contributed to the rockfall,  but there is no way of definitively knowing. Sometimes a rock that many people have pulled on has a day that it is going to release. Unfortunately, it released on Nolan.

Don’t underestimate Logical Progression because it’s a “sport route.” This wall is remote, large, and committing. The weather can be really bad. Be prepared. You are on your own out there—help in case of an accident isn’t as close as you think it is in Chihuahua.

We were prepared with bivy gear, a stick clip, extra draws, an inReach, and the knowledge to go up or down the wall safely on our own. Nolan and I were both well within our comfort level. We both had quickly dispatched the first 5.13 pitch on the route on the morning of the accident. Some accidents are simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Source: Aaron Livingston.)

The Optimist

Nolan Smythe’s journal from a 2019 trip to the Wind River Range. Photo by Drew Smith

Aaron Livingston, the author of this report, and Nolan Smythe free climbed a hard route up Mt. Hooker in Wyoming in 2019 and planned to return for their own new route in the summer of 2020. After Nolan’s death, Aaron returned to the Wind River Range with Jackson Marvell and Drew Smith and put up The Optimist, a.k.a. The Nolan Smythe Memorial Route (12 pitches, 5.12). Aaron’s story about this climb will be in the 2021 American Alpine Journal.

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The monthly Accidents Bulletin is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club.

The Prescription - June 2021

Rescuers in Banff National Park heli-sling a patient to a staging area below Mt. Louis after a failed protection placement led to a very long fall. Photo: Parks Canada

The Prescription - June 2021

Leader Fall – Inadequate Protection (Banff National Park, Alberta)

This report will appear in the 2021 edition of ANAC. It highlights a problem that climbers occasionally experience: seemingly well-placed cams that unexpectedly pull out of cracks.  

On August 28, 2020, an experienced party set out to climb Homage to the Spider (5.10a) on Mt. Louis, near Banff. The route is an alpine rock climb with a three-hour approach. It starts with a few hundred meters of third- and fourth-class scrambling to reach a bolted anchor. From this anchor, there is a short descent into a gully, where the technical rock climbing starts.

The first pitch is 5.9 and includes a corner that is often dirty or wet. The leader started up this first pitch and made an extra effort to place some smaller pieces in the lower part of the pitch. The upper part consists of a wide crack that can be protected with number 4 cams. In an effort to keep packs light, the climbers had brought only a single number 4, intending to bump that cam up the wide section. The leader had climbed the route several times before and felt comfortable with this tactic.

High on the pitch, the leader set the big cam and committed to the final moves up to the anchor. During a layback move, one foot slipped and the climber started falling. The number 4 cam pulled out of the rock, and the climber kept falling before being stopped by a smaller cam lower down. The climber’s body contacted some ledgy terrain, and at least one ankle was broken. The belayer lowered the injured leader to the bottom of the climb, and the party called for help using their Satellite Emergency Notification Device (SEND).

Banff Visitor Safety personnel responded via helicopter and assessed the scene. The gully where the patient was located was too tight for helicopter access, but rescuers were able to move the injured climber and partner to the anchor above the pitch, from which the climbers and rescuers could be slung out to a staging area in the valley below.

ANALYSIS

RESCUER REQUEST: Another party was on Homage to the Spider on August 28, ahead of the injured party. Rescuers worried that rockfall from the party above might threaten the climbers and rescuers below. As a general rule, if you are above an accident scene, stop moving while the rescue is in process. This will greatly reduce the chance of knocking rocks, ice, or other objects onto the scene below. — Ian Jackson, Visitor Safety Technician

The leader was very experienced and had climbed Homage to the Spider six times. The route and gear requirements were known in detail. The leader also had a lot of experience placing trad gear and described the number 4 cam that pulled as “90 percent good.” In hindsight, the leader thought the cam pulled because the sides of the crack were coated with fine dirt and limestone dust. Meltwater from snow high up on the route funnels down the corner on pitch one, and this pitch is always covered in varying degrees of dirt. The leader felt that dirt on the sides of the crack decreased the friction between the cam lobes and the rock and made the placement, which otherwise appeared to be good, inadequate.

This is a common problem on alpine routes and even more so in winter with ice and water ever present. Cams are highly suspect if the friction of the cam lobes on the rock is inadequate. Passive protection that has a tighter fit—such as nuts, hexes, or pitons hammered into cracks—might inspire more confidence when the friction of the side walls is an issue.

On previous ascents of this route, the leader often had not placed the smaller cam that actually caught the fall. The leader made an effort to place more pieces this time and was very glad to have done so. That small cam had been deemed a much worse placement than the larger cam that pulled—but you never know what can happen. If you are relying solely on one piece and it pulls, the outcome could be very bad. (Source: Ian Jackson, Visitor Safety Technician, Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks.)

CAMS IN SLIPPERY ROCK

A cam placed in a constriction often will have greater holding power in wet or dirty rock.

Numerous reports document that well-placed cams can pull out of wet or dirty rock or even perfectly clean but slippery stone like Yosemite granite or Devil’s Lake quartzite. What can be done to minimize this hazard?

• Lubricate cams and fix or replace units with sticky lobes or bent trigger wires to maximize their holding power. This report from the New River Gorge shows what can happen when cams are sticky.
• Choose the right cam for a placement—it should fit in the unit’s optimum range.
• Orient the placement in the direction of anticipated load, and extend it with a quickdraw or sling to maintain the correct orientation.
• Look for constrictions in the crack that will increase a cam’s holding power.
• Use more passive pro: A well-placed nut may be more resistant to pulling out of slick rock than a cam.
• Never say “good enough.” If a placement doesn’t look great, fix it or find another. Consider doubling up on protection before cruxes. (Source: ANAC 2019, p. 102.)

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THE RED ROCK POOPACALYPSE

By Stefani Dawn

In January 2021, Erik Kloeker and his climbing partner were minding their own business when someone dropped theirs.

Erik was belaying in one of the middle chimney pitches of the super-classic 1,500-foot route Epinephrine at Red Rock Canyon, Nevada, when he heard something fly past him and crash into the rock about a pitch down, just below his climbing partner and just above their friends in the following party. There was an explosion and then multiple ricocheting hits of what appeared to be a Nalgene bottle and its contents flying everywhere. But it wasn’t Gatorade spraying the walls of Black Velvet Canyon. It was human feces.

The climber that "dropped the deuce" explained that after pulling the bulge on the route’s final 5.9 pitch, he realized he couldn't resist the call of nature one minute longer. He attempted to go into a plastic Diamond almond bag, with the intentions of carrying it out, but the opening wasn't wide enough. The poopetrator got out a Nalgene water bottle to wash the resulting mess off his hands and the ledge, and to place the offending material inside, again with the intent of carrying out the waste. But as he was maneuvering on the ledge, his foot accidentally kicked off the feces-filled bottle—a moment that will live in infamy in the annals of Red Rock climbing.

Funny, yes…sort of. But such accidents create genuine hazards, not just from falling “objects” but also from the unsanitary conditions that will be encountered by dozens of climbers a week on a popular route like this. An excellent solution is to carry an appropriate poop bag, such as Restop 2 or Cleanwaste Go Anywhere (formerly Wag Bag), which have convenient large openings and contain odor-absorbing material, TP, and a handy wet-wipe. They weigh about three ounces and slip easily into a pack or coat pocket, so there’s no excuse not to have one at the ready.

If you'd like to support the "poopacolypse prevention" cause, the Southern Nevada Climbers Coalition, which helps stock poop-bag dispensers at Red Rock, is currently conducting a waste-bag fundraising campaign. Find the donation link at the bottom of this page.

— Stefani Dawn is a Las Vegas–based regional volunteer for ANAC and editor in chief of the online magazine Common Climber, which celebrates the fun in climbing and all climbers wherever they are in their climbing journey. 

THE SHARP END

Matt and Trevor had plenty of experience hiking 14ers in Colorado, so when Matt's dad was in Colorado for a visit, they decided to take him up Mt. Bierstadt so he could check off his first 14er to celebrate turning 70. On May 8, 2021, the group was nearing the top when the weather changed dramatically. They and another group of hikers suddenly found themselves in a lightning storm with extremely low visibility and rapidly dropping temperatures.

In this episode of the Sharp End, find out what Trevor and Matt learned about making decisions on the fly and how that extra gear we keep with us "just in case” might actually come into play. The Sharp End podcast is sponsored by the American Alpine Club.

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The monthly Accidents Bulletin is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club.

The Prescription - May 2021

A huge avalanche in July stripped the north face of Mt. Belanger in Jasper National Park, Canada, down to bare glacial ice. Photo by Grant Statham

The Prescription - May 2021

KNOW THE ROPES: SUMMER AVALANCHES

Spring and Summer Hazards for Mountaineers

It’s springtime and that means snow slopes have stabilized and avalanche danger is a thing of the past, right? Not so fast. For mountaineers and skiers, avalanche season continues well into summer. And in the warmer months, mountaineers account for the large majority of fatal avalanche incidents.

For the 2020 edition of Accidents in North American Climbing, Seattle-based ski mountaineering guide and avalanche forecaster Matt Schonwald wrote an in-depth “Know the Ropes” article about mountaineering avalanches. At the top of his article, Matt described the problems with these avalanches and the reasons many climbers are less than fully prepared:

Spring avalanche on the Ptarmigan Glacier in Rocky Mountain National Park. Note the track on the left. A party of climbers/skiers climbed this slope about one hour before the slide. Photo by Dougald MacDonald

“Although a large majority of avalanche fatalities occur in the winter months, avalanches are not uncommon in the long days of late spring and early summer. According to the national database compiled by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), since 1951 in the United States, 39 out of 44 avalanche fatalities in June and 31 out of 43 in May have involved climbers.

“Most backcountry skiers and winter mountaineers in avalanche-prone areas have some knowledge of the hazards and carry basic avalanche safety equipment, such as transceivers, probes, and shovels…. But preparation for avalanche hazards in the spring and summer mountaineering season is not as widespread or systematic. Most avalanche training is skewed toward winter travelers, and many avalanches that affect mountaineers occur in terrain not covered by avalanche forecasts or after avalanche centers have shut down for the season.

“At the same time, the consequences of an avalanche are at least as great for mountaineers in spring and summer as they are during the winter months. As the winter snowpack melts back, additional hazards are exposed. Cliffs, narrow couloirs, exposed crevasses or boulder fields, and other terrain traps make an encounter with even a small avalanche potentially fatal.

“Mountains big and small possess the potential to bury or injure you with the right combination of unstable snow, terrain, and a trigger—often someone in your party. It’s not only important to recognize these hazards but also to have the discipline to respect the problem and choose another route or wait till the risk decreases. In preparing to enter avalanche terrain, the mountaineer must be focused more on avoiding avalanches than on surviving one, and that is the focus of this article.”

Matt’s story goes on to describe how to recognize avalanche hazards in mountaineering settings and how to plan climbs to minimize the hazards. If you’re contemplating a climbing or skiing trip in snowy mountains this season, this article is essential reading. If you prefer a PDF copy, log in to your profile at the AAC website and look under Publications in the member benefits area—you can download the complete 2020 ANAC there.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: A Real-World Example From Mt. Hood

Mt. Hood’s south side, about 24 hours after the avalanche on May 31, 1998. (A) The 300-foot crown fracture extended across the whole slope above Crater Rock, varying from one to five feet high. (B) The Hogsback bergschrund, below the Pearly Gates. Screen shot from KGW-Television cam at Timberline Lodge

In the 1999 edition of ANAC, we described a tragic incident on Mt. Hood on May 31, 1998. An avalanche struck a team attempting the West Crater Rim route at 10:05 a.m. and swept down about 1,250 feet. One climber was killed in the slide and two others seriously injured; the leader of the group, on a separate rope team, also was injured. The party had headed up the mountain despite one to two feet of new snow in the past week, a “high avalanche hazard” warning posted by the U.S. Forest Service, and signs of recent avalanche activity along their route.

According to the Mt. Hood climbing ranger, most of the people on the mountain that day in late May did not carry avalanche transceivers. “Some of these climbers later remarked that they hadn’t considered avalanches to be a problem, as it was late in the season and it was such a beautiful day,” the report says. “But in fact, a secondary maximum in monthly Northwest avalanche fatalities occurs in May, similar to the mid-winter Northwest maximums.”

Read the full ANAC report here.  

Rockfall took out this anchor at the Narrows, near Redstone, Colorado, last summer. Photo by Chris Kalous (@enormocast)

IT’S SPRINGTIME! HEADS UP!

Avalanches aren’t the only hazards that trend upward in springtime: Rockfall and loose holds become more frequent at many cliffs in the spring, as the freeze-thaw cycle and heavy precipitation prepares missiles for launching.

Last May, a climber experienced this the hard way during the fifth-class approach to Break on Through at Moore’s Wall, North Carolina. Two weeks of heavy rain had loosened some big holds, and this climber found one of them. His report will be published in ANAC 2021, but you can read it now at the AAC’s publications website.

If you choose not to wear a helmet for shorter climbs, such as sport routes, consider changing this habit for spring and early summer climbs. In addition to the hazards mentioned above, thunderstorms frequently send volleys of rock over cliffs, threatening climbers and belayers alike. Rockfall also may impact fixed gear and anchors: Check before you trust.

THE SHARP END PODCAST

Last summer, Jes Scott and Erica Ellefsen set out on an 80-kilometer high-mountain traverse from Mt. Washington to Flower Ridge in Strathcona Provincial Park, British Columbia. Listen to the latest Sharp End podcast to hear what went wrong during their planned eight-day traverse and how they decided to call for a rescue. The Sharp End podcast is sponsored by the American Alpine Club.

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The monthly Accidents Bulletin is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club.

The Prescription - April 2021

Just tie the darned knot! Photo by Ron Funderburke.

The Prescription - April 2021

LOWERING ERROR – NO STOPPER KNOT

A PERSONAL STORY FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF

One of the most common incidents reported in Accidents in North American Climbing is lowering a climber off the end of the rope (specifically, allowing the end of the rope to pass through a belay device, causing the climber to fall to the ground). As the editor of Accidents for the last seven years, I am all too familiar with this accident type. Yet late last year, I allowed it to happen to me.

In sharing this story, the last thing I want to do is blame my belayer. I firmly believe that climbers are largely responsible for our own safety, and, as I’ll explain, I had enough information and know-how to make much better decisions before starting up this route.

The climb was our warm-up on a sunny October day at Staunton State Park in Colorado. The Mountain Project description of this 5.9+ sport route said it was 95 feet high and that you could lower with a 60-meter rope with care. We had brought a fairly new 60-meter rope to the crag. The pitch was obviously long: I couldn’t see the anchor over a bulge up high, and the description said there were 14 protection bolts. But all these clues didn’t prompt me to tie a stopper knot in the belayer’s end of the rope before heading up.

During the long pitch, I made a mental note to tell my belayer to keep an eye on the end of the rope as I lowered off, and I thought the same thing as I rigged the anchor for top-roping. But I couldn’t see the belayer on the ground until I had lowered for 35 or 40 feet, and by then I’d forgotten my plan to warn the belayer to watch the ends.

Photo of the author by Mark Hammond

Three or four feet off the ground, as I was backing down ledges at the base of the climb, the rope end shot through the belayer’s device and I tumbled to the ground, knocking over the belayer and rolling across a stony belay platform. Fortunately, neither of us were injured, but we were both badly shaken.

Did I feel stupid? You bet I did. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve written some form of this sentence in the pages of Accidents: “A stopper knot in the end of the rope would have prevented this accident.” I even urged readers to make a pledge to tie stopper knots in an editorial a couple of years ago. How could I have neglected this basic step? It was complacency, plain and simple.

No one is immune to mistakes. The only way to ensure you’ll have a stopper knot when you need it is to tie one every time. (Or you can tie the belayer’s end to a rope bag, or the belayer can tie in to close the system.) Every time. It feels silly for short pitches, but it forms a routine, so you’ll be prepared when it really counts. Tying the knot also subtly influences your climbing partners and other climbers at the crag; hopefully, they’ll develop their own good habits.

The Mountain Project description for that climb at Staunton has been revised, and now it should be clear that a 70-meter rope (or some easy downclimbing with a 60m) is needed. But ropes shrink, ropes get cut, your partner might have forgotten which rope he brought. A stopper knot is the ultimate shield against bad beta. It’s also a wonderful antidote to complacency.

I got off easy last October, and I’ve finally learned my lesson. Closing the belay system takes only seconds, and there is no downside. So, please, don’t repeat my mistake. Just tie the darned knot.

— Dougald MacDonald, Editor

THE SHARP END PODCAST

Back in 1982, Jean Muenchrath and her partner summited Mt. Whitney as the culmination of a winter ski traverse of the John Muir Trail. On the summit they were caught in a severe snow and lightning storm. During their attempt to escape the mountain, her partner took a long sliding fall, and then Jean, trying to get down herself, also fell and bounced down through rocks for more than 150 feet, enduring massive trauma. Listen to this episode to hear a true story of tenacity and survival. The Sharp End podcast is sponsored by the American Alpine Club.

MEET THE RESCUERS

Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg, medical director for Mt. Hood rescue teams, gives us an update on climbing and COVID-19.

Home town: Hood River, Oregon

Christopher Van Tilburg near Everest Base Camp, Nepal.

Volunteer and professional life: I’m a rescuer and medical director for Hood River Crag Rats and medical director for Portland Mountain Rescue, Pacific Northwest SAR, and Clackamas County SAR. Basically all the areas around Mt. Hood. My day job is working for Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital in clinic and the emergency room, but also at the Mount Hood Meadows ski resort (21 years!). Finally, I’m the Hood River County medical examiner and public health officer, which is a good complement for public safety and SAR work. 

How did you first become interested in search and rescue?

I grew up with parents who spent lots of time volunteering in the local community and abroad. They were involved in the Friendship Force, a person-to-person exchange program, and Christian Medical Society. Initially I became interested in wilderness medicine through doing medical relief programs. Then, in medical school, I realized it was a way of merging my passion with the outdoors, medicine, and my interest in volunteering. 

Any personal climbing accidents or close calls?

I almost died on Mt. Hood in an inbounds ski accident. One weekend we had six inches of rain followed by freezing temps, so the snowpack froze solid. Then we had a foot of snow. I fell and ended up having emergency surgery. It put things in perspective: Things can go bad at any time, in an instant. 

What sort of work are you doing with SAR teams in relation to COVID-19?

I put together or assisted with most COVID-19 protocols for the teams where I am medical director. It was particularly challenging because recommendations changed as the pandemic evolved. 

Given that most of our readers are climbing outdoors, how worried do they need to be about catching or transmitting the virus?

Outdoor activity is very low risk. Probably the biggest risk is driving in a closed vehicle to the mountain or crag or sharing a tent. I’ve been vaccinated since very early, but I—and my ski buddies—still wear a mask on the commute up the mountain. Vaccination limits risk, wearing a mask limits risk, washing hands and trying to keep your distance limits risk. Employ these three things and you’ll be much safer. 

What other precautions can climbers and mountaineers take?

Forming a pod of people with whom you climb regularly will help. Then, do a quick safety check before leaving the house to pick up your buddy: Are you sick? Have you been exposed to someone sick? 

With vaccination increasing and so many states opening up, even as COVID variants are spreading, how should climbers adjust their risk assessment during the spring and summer months?

Right now, keep wearing a mask. We don’t know yet about variants, how effective the vaccine will be. We also have many cases of people vaccinated but still getting COVID-19. So, I’d say, don’t be too eager to stop wearing the mask. 

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Share Your Story: The deadline for the 2021 edition of Accidents in North American Climbing is April 30. If you were involved in a climbing accident or rescue in 2020, consider sharing the lessons with other climbers. Let’s work together to reduce the number of accidents. Reach us at [email protected].

The monthly Accidents Bulletin is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club.

The Prescription - March 2021

Mike had set up a video camera to record what he hoped would be an onsight send of a 5.12 route at Cooper’s Rock. The first gear placement is marked. The route is usually top-roped. Video capture courtesy of Mike Paugh

The Prescription - March 2021

GROUND FALL – INADEQUATE PROTECTION

COOPER’S ROCK STATE FOREST, WEST VIRGINIA

On October 4, Sarah Smith and I (Mike Paugh, 38) were searching for areas to bring clients with my new guide service, Ascension Climbing Guides. While exploring, we were also climbing routes in the area. At the Roof Rocks, about 2 p.m., I racked up to attempt Upchouca (5.12a/b), which begins with an unprotected V5 start. I knew the route was in my wheelhouse of climbing fitness but also at the peak of my climbing limits. I felt confident about the send. I rehearsed the opening moves 10 to 12 times, trying to find my sequence to the hero jug about 15 feet up.

I set off one last time, committing to the boulder problem and fully aware there was a point of no return where I could not jump off without getting injured. I felt gassed and pumped immediately after making it through the crux, probably from the numerous attempts to figure out my sequence. Unfortunately, the placement I had spotted from the ground for my first piece of protection turned out to be complete garbage.

Realizing that I was in trouble, I continued upward and found an excellent horizontal seam. I placed a yellow Metolius TCU up to the trigger, with all three lobes fully engaged, and clipped it using an alpine draw. Breathing a sigh of relief, I asked my belayer, Sarah, to take me. The cam held and I proceeded to shake out my arms. The climbing above looked to ease up significantly, and I identified a couple solid gear placements.

As soon as I shifted my weight to the left to continue up the route, the TCU blew from the rock with the sound of a 12-gauge shotgun. When it popped, a piece of rock hit me in the face as I began to fall. Everything sped up, and the next thing I remember is hitting the ground and screaming in pain. I suffered an open fracture of my left tibia and fibula. Thankfully, there was a party of four climbers nearby who responded to Sarah’s call for help until EMS arrived.

ANALYSIS

I had three surgeries to repair the damage and later remove the external fixation device attached to my leg. I’ve been doing great with my recovery, and I’ve started climbing again in the gym. 

Looking back, I’ve thought about the risk assessment I should have made before attempting the route. Given the hard, bouldery crux in the first 15 to 18 feet of this route and the rocky landing below it, I should have placed bouldering pads at the base of the climb, treating it like a highball boulder problem. Protecting the landing zone should have been priority number one, especially for a ground-up, onsight attempt. Once I reached the jug hold past the crux, I was in a no-return, no-fall zone, especially without any pad protection.  

I’ve also realized I should have considered setting up a top-rope to rehearse the route, due to its PG-13 rating and not being able to assess gear placements adequately from the ground. Had I done so, I could have climbed the route with little to no consequences, assessing the rock quality (which was a little chossy in the crack) and gear placements before leading the climb. I also could have backed up the single TCU with another placement before asking Sarah to take my weight.

I am extremely grateful to the group of young climbers who kept me calm and called 911, to Jan Dzierzak, the Cooper’s Rock superintendent, to Adam Polinski, who showed the rescue group the easiest way out during the extraction, to the local rescue volunteers and professionals who responded to the call, and to the highly skilled orthopedic surgery and physical therapy staff at WVU–Ruby Memorial Hospital. I have received amazing support from my climbing community, family, and friends, not just locally but also nationally. (Source: Mike Paugh.)

Mike’s family and friends set up a Go Fund Me page to offset expenses that weren’t covered by his health insurance.

EUROPEAN ACCIDENT STUDIES

Two recent papers on the nature and causes of rock climbing and mountaineering accidents in Europe are available to download:

• Mountaineering incidents in France: analysis of search and rescue interventions on a 10-year period, published in the Journal of Mountain Science. The download link (a fee or institutional access required) is here.

• Rock Climbing Emergencies in the Austrian Alps: Injury Patterns, Risk Analysis and
Preventive Measures, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The full article can be downloaded (no charge) from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Incidentally, two of the lead authors on these studies, Maud Vanpoulle (France) and Laura Tiefenthaler (Austria), are very accomplished alpine climbers. Tiefenthaler climbed both Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy last season, and Vanpoulle’s climbs in Chile’s Cordillera Darwin with the French national women’s mountaineering team appeared in the 2019 American Alpine Journal.

THE SHARP END

Near misses are greatly under-reported in climbing and backcountry skiing, yet they are plentiful. What leads them to be under-reported and how can they help climbers avoid future accidents? In Episode 62 of the Sharp End, Joel Reid, the Washington Program Director at the Northwest Outward Bound School, and Steve Smith, from Experiential Consulting, chat with Ashley about the importance of reporting and studying near misses. The Sharp End podcast is sponsored by the American Alpine Club.

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

Colorado-based pro climber Molly Mitchell suffered a serious accident on October 1 last year, falling to the ground after ripping four pieces of gear from her project: a traditional ascent (skipping the bolts) on the 5.13c/d route Crank It in Boulder Canyon. She fractured two vertebrae in her lower back. Understandably, both the physical and psychological recovery have been tough. And so, we were happy to see her post on March 4 celebrating a return to hard trad climbing. Though few can climb as hard as Molly, many will identify with her feelings following a damaging fall. Highlights from her post are reproduced below; click on the photo to read the whole post.

🙏 Yesterday was big for me. So happy to have sent “Bone Collector” (aka Bone Crusher), a 5.12 trad line at The Quarry in Golden, CO…. It’s been 5 months since I broke my back taking a ground fall in Boulder Canyon. 3 months since I got out of the back brace.

I have to say that the last couple months have been incredibly hard for me. Maybe even harder than the 2 months I spent in the back brace. Not only did I not realize the physical limitations the soft tissue in my back would still have, but my mental game has been all over the place. Earlier in February, I was crying almost every time I led a trad route and having intense anxiety attacks. I didn’t realize the long term effect the trauma of the accident would have on me. I have said to my friends: I feel like a different person and it’s made me feel like I’ve lost my identity.

I started working on this route at the end of January. The route takes good gear, but I still had such a hard time trusting the gear on anything, and even more importantly, trusting myself…. For a while, and still sometimes, even weighting a piece at all was so hard because my body would just still recall the feeling of the gear ripping from my accident…. It’s been a battle.

Yesterday was the first time I felt in the zone again while climbing since the accident. I was still very nervous and scared, but I was able to push through…. I’m so proud of myself. I don’t feel confident saying that often because my anxiety doesn’t want me to come across like I have an ego. But this one meant a lot 🥺. Thank you to everyone who has been incredibly supportive & helpful the last couple months.

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Share Your Story: The deadline for the 2021 edition of Accidents in North American Climbing is not far off. If you were involved in a climbing accident or rescue in 2020, consider sharing the lessons with other climbers. Let’s work together to reduce the number of accidents. Reach us at [email protected].

The monthly Accidents Bulletin is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club.

The Prescription - February 2021

Highline anchor bolts atop the northwest corner of Castleton Tower, Utah.

The Prescription - February 2021

STRANDED – STUCK RAPPEL ROPES

CASTLETON TOWER, UTAH

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 classic Kor-Ingalls Route (5.9) on the tower’s south side. They topped out later than expected, with about an hour and a half of daylight left.

Armed with guidebook photos and online beta, they planned to descend via the standard North Face rappels. The two saw a beefy new anchor on top of the northwest corner of the tower and decided this must be the first rappel anchor. Tying two 70-meter ropes together, the first rappeller descended about 200 feet and spotted a bolted anchor 25 feet to his right, with no other suitable anchor before the ends of the ropes. No longer in voice contact with his partner, he ascended a short distance and moved right to reach the bolted anchor. It appeared that one more double-rope rappel would get them to the ground. Once both climbers reached the mid-face anchor, they attempted to pull the ropes. Despite applying full body weight to the pull line, they could not get the ropes to budge.

Contemplating ascending the stuck rope, the climbers realized the other strand had swung out of reach across a blank face. The climbers agreed that recovering the other strand was not safe or practical, nor was climbing the unknown chimney above them in the dark. The climbers were aware the temperature was expected to drop to 15°F overnight, so they made the call for a rescue. They were prepared with a headlamp, warm jackets, hand warmers, and an emergency bivy sack.

A team of three rescuers from Grand County Search and Rescue was transported to the summit via helicopter. One rescuer rappelled to the subjects around 9 p.m. and assisted them in rappelling to the base of the tower. 

ANALYSIS

The rescuers discovered the climbers had mistakenly rappelled from an anchor used to rig a 500-meter highline (slackline) over to the neighboring Rectory formation. Instead of rappelling the North Face, as planned, the climbers had ended up on the less-traveled West Face Route (5.11). Because the highline anchors were not intended for rappelling, friction made it impossible for the climbers to pull their ropes.

Upon reflection, the climbing party identified a number of decisions that could have prevented this misadventure. Had they abandoned the climb and rappelled the Kor-Ingalls Route earlier, they probably would have been down before sunset. Even after finishing the route, heading back down the Kor-Ingalls would have had the advantage of familiarity with the anchor stations rather than rappelling into unknown territory. Lastly, while the highline anchor is quite visible atop the tower, its configuration, set back from the cliff edge with very short chain links, indicates it is not appropriate for a rappel. The climbers may have felt rushed with the setting sun and dropping temperatures, but if they had looked more thoroughly, they likely would have found the North Face rappel station, about 15 feet away . This anchor’s bolts have three or four feet of chain that extend over the edge and attach to large rappel rings, making for an easy pull. (Sources: The climbers, Grand County Search and Rescue, and the Editors.) 

The Hazards of Highline Anchors

As highlines, BASE jumps, and space nets grow in popularity, the number of nonclimbing bolted anchors is on the rise at certain climbing areas, and rescues like this are becoming more prevalent. In fact, this is the second stranding in five years resulting from an attempted rappel using the same highline anchor on Castleton Tower. Two very similar incidents were reported in ANAC 2019: one at Smith Rock, Oregon, and one in Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado.

The highline from Misery Ridge to Monkey Face at Smith Rock. Climbers were stranded in 2018 when they attempted to rappel from the anchors on the left and could not pull their ropes. Photo courtesy of Smithrock.com.

To avoid mistakenly using an anchor that’s not intended for rappelling, study published descriptions of anchor locations carefully. If an anchor does not appear to be set up properly for rappelling—especially when it’s on a very popular formation like Castleton Tower—look around and consider the options before committing to the rappel. 

After word got out about these stranded climbers on Castleton Tower, a local guide removed the chain links from the highline anchor to discourage future incidents. (The links can easily be reinstalled to rig the highline to the Rectory.) Plans are in the works to attach plaques identifying the bolts as a highline anchor.

THE SHARP END: A SKIER’S SCARY SLIDE ON MT. HOOD

Last June, a 25-year-old skier had just begun his descent from Mt. Hood’s summit when he missed a turn and started sliding. Waiting at the bottom was a fumarole: an opening in the volcano’s icy surface that emits steam and noxious gases. In episode 61 of the Sharp End, this skier tells host Ashley Saupe about his accident and ensuing rescue. The Sharp End podcast is sponsored by the American Alpine Club.

Climbers and Fumaroles

Fumarole incidents on Oregon’s Mt. Hood are not uncommon. These dangerous volcanic vents form in the run-out zone below several of Hood’s most popular summit routes. In December 2020, another skier fell through a thin bridge over a fumarole on Mt. Hood. Like the skier in this month’s Sharp End, she was traveling alone, and she was fortunate that bystanders quickly came to her aid. Although traditional crevasse hazard is seldom an issue on Hood’s normal routes, solo climbers and skiers should be acutely aware of fumarole dangers, how to identify them, and their likely locations. For more on Mt. Hood’s common accident types, see “Danger Zones” in ANAC 2018.

OMG! THIS BOLT IS LOOSE!

According to the New River Alliance of Climbers (NRAC) in West Virginia, 75 percent of the “bad bolt” reports it receives are simple cases of loose nuts that could be tightened easily. This fun, one-minute video from the NRAC offers a quick breakdown of what to do when you encounter a loose bolt—which can be tightened and which should be reported to your local climbing organization or BadBolts.com.

MEET THE VOLUNTEERS

Stacia Glenn, Regional Editor for Washington

Years volunteering with Accidents: 5

Stacia Glenn near Washington Pass. Photo by Jon Abbott

Real job: Breaking-news reporter at The News Tribune in Tacoma

Home climbing areas: North Cascades, Exit 38, Vantage/Frenchman Coulee

Favorite type of climbing?

I love single-pitch sport—there's just something about the mental and physical challenge of finding my way up the rock, and that's where I push my ability the furthest. But the overall experience of alpine climbing—the isolation, the mountain views, the promise of adventure—is hard to beat.

How did you first become interested in Accidents?

When I was first learning how to climb, I had no real sense of what could go wrong. As a way to educate and caution me, a friend pointed me to the Accidents publication, and it became a wonderful learning tool. Reading about climbing mishaps and poring over the analysis of why these things happened drove home the seriousness of the sport and instilled a deep appreciation for safety. Editing Accidents and diving into the details of each incident constantly reminds me of these things and has deepened my understanding of techniques.

Personal scariest incident?

I was warming up on a sport route in the Tieton River area, west of Yakima, on a sweltering summer day, and the climb had an extremely high first bolt. As I went to move my left hand, a rock fell from the cliff above and startled me. I lost my grip and fell 22 feet, landing upright and shattering the tibia and fibula in my left leg. I was only falling for seconds, but it felt like the world slowed down as my mind frantically tried to process what was happening and how I could protect myself. So terrifying! 

Share Your Story: The deadline for the 2021 edition of Accidents in North American Climbing is not far off. If you were involved in a climbing accident or rescue in 2020, consider sharing the lessons with other climbers. Let’s work together to reduce the number of accidents. Reach us at [email protected].

The monthly Accidents Bulletin is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club.

The Prescription - January 2021

National Park Service rangers rescuing the fallen climber from Mt. Shuksan. NPS Photo

The Prescription - January 2021

ANCHOR FAILURES IN THE MOUNTAINS

North Cascades National Park, Mt. Shuksan, Sulphide Glacier Route

On July 19, 2020, a party of three climbers was descending Mt. Shuksan after summiting via the Sulphide Glacier route. The party was rappelling the standard descent route on Shuksan’s summit pyramid. They reached a flat ledge and found an existing anchor consisting of a single loop of red webbing around a rock horn. After pulling the rope from the previous rappel, one of the climbers, a 28-year-old female, began to rig the second-to-last rappel of their descent. She threaded the rope through the anchor, rigged her rappel device, and began to weight the anchor. At this time, the rock horn failed, and the climber fell about 100 feet. The other climbers were not attached to the anchor when the failure occurred. The climber came to rest in 3rd- and 4th-class terrain, suffering an unspecified lower leg injury.

The party activated an inReach device to request a rescue, and the remaining two climbers were able to downclimb to the fallen climber’s position and provide basic medical care. At 5:30 p.m., National Park Service rangers arrived on scene via helicopter, and a short-haul operation was performed to extract the injured climber. The rest of the party was able to safely exit the mountain on their own.

ANALYSIS

In an interview with the party, the climber stated they were in a hurry due to the lateness of the day and they were tired from attempting a car-to-car climb of this long route (6,400 feet of elevation gain). The climber stated that at this rappel station they did not assess the integrity of the anchor, as they had been doing previously. This decision was influenced by time, fatigue, and the assumption the anchor would be strong, like the other anchors they had just used for rappelling.

When rappelling, it is imperative to assess the integrity of every anchor before weighting it. Inspect the entire anchor material, especially the less visible back side of the anchor, to be sure it is not chewed, weathered, or otherwise damaged. It is not uncommon to encounter structurally unsound rock in the North Cascades; if possible, test all anchors with a belay or backup before rappelling, and back up the anchor until the last person in the party descends.

It is possible the horn that failed was not one of the standard descent anchors on Shuksan’s summit pyramid. During multi-rappel descents, it is not uncommon to rappel past the standard anchor or to spot an anchor from above and head toward it, thereby missing the optimum anchor. When the descent route is the same as your climbing route, try to note and remember the position of the standard rappel anchors as you climb. (Source: North Cascades National Park Mountaineering Rangers.)

A very similar rappelling accident on Mt. Shuksan’s summit period was reported in the 1992 edition of ANAC.

RAPPEL ANCHOR FAILURES: A COMMON THEME IN ANAC 2020

The 2020 edition of Accidents in North American Climbing reported an unusually high number of rappel anchor failures: six in all! Half of these resulted in fatalities.

Just after this climber began a short rappel on Nishelheim’s northwest ridge, the sling came undone and she fell, fortunately without serious injury.

Two of the six rappel anchor failures in ANAC 2020 involved inadequate anchors built by the climbers; the pieces pulled out of the rock when weighted. In a third case, the climbers built their own anchor and then the rock pillar in which their cams were placed shifted, causing the cams to pull out. Three of the incidents were very similar to the one reported above. Climbers found an in situ cord or sling, which broke or came untied when a rappeller weighted it:

• Mendenhall Towers, Alaska: A worn cord connecting two fixed pieces broke under load.

• Evolution Traverse, California: A weathered cordelette snapped, even though one climber in the party had already used it.

• Niselheim, British Columbia: An in situ sling wrapped around a rock horn came loose when a rappeller failed to inspect it before weighting the ropes—the “knot” joining the two ends of the sling was completely inadequate.

Online forums are filled with photos and discussions of the best way to rig rappels from bolted anchors. But failures of such anchors are extremely rare. The types of incidents described here—especially the failure of rappel anchors built with rock horns, boulders, or weathered slings on mountain routes—are far more common. The lesson is crystal clear: No matter how tired you are, how dark it is, or how quickly the weather is deteriorating, every rappel anchor found in place while descending must be carefully inspected and/or tested before it can be trusted.

THE SHARP END: TURNING THE TABLES

After five years of hosting the Sharp End Podcast, it’s Ashley Saupe’s turn to be interviewed. Listen as Steve Smith at Experiential Consulting turns the tables on the podcast creator and interviews her about some incidents she's had in the backcountry, how she's managed them, and why she is inspired to continue producing this podcast for her listeners.

MEET THE RESCUERS

Neil Van Dyke, Search and Rescue Coordinator, Vermont Department of Public Safety, and member of Stowe Mountain Rescue

Years volunteering with your team: 40

Home areas: Smugglers Notch and Lower West Bolton. But I spend more time skiing (backcountry, alpine, or Nordic), hiking, and canoeing than I do recreational climbing.

How did you first become interested in search and rescue?

It was an opportunity to combine my interests in first aid and emergency response (I was a volunteer firefighter and EMT) and recreating in the outdoors. It was a natural fit. There were no local SAR teams at that time, so I helped start one!

Personal safety tip?

It’s hard to pick just one, but for me the most important is having really good situational awareness, knowing your limits, and understanding when to turn around and come back another day. Most people get in trouble because they push limits, which can be either a conscious decision or one made unwittingly due to a lack of situational awareness.

How about your scariest “close call”?

September 11, 1993. Our team was responding to Hidden Gulley in Smugglers Notch to assist a father and son who had gotten cliffed out. I climbed up to a ledge about 100 feet below them and was belaying my partner up to my position. The rock was really nasty and rotten, but I put a sling around a large bulge that I thought would be okay as an anchor. Unfortunately, that whole piece separated from the face and took me with it. I fell about 60 feet and was sure it was “all over,” but survived with a bunch of broken bones and a punctured lung. I still receive the occasionally ribbing from colleagues for trying to direct my own rescue.

What are your biggest concerns for this winter season?

Like many areas of the country, we are concerned in Vermont about what looks to be a large influx of new backcountry skiers. While we saw this to some degree with people flocking to the outdoors last summer during COVID, the consequences of something going wrong in the winter are clearly much higher. We shouldn’t be afraid to welcome new users to the sport, but there are definitely concerns that some will not be properly equipped and prepared. We’ve had some good discussions among the local ski community about watching out for each other and doing what we can to gently mentor newcomers to the backcountry when we encounter them.

What would you say to people interested in learning more about search and rescue?

Reach out to your closest SAR team to find out more about how they operate and what they are looking for in members. You can also check with the government agency that has jurisdiction for SAR in your area. For most teams, having really solid all-around outdoor skills is critical—we always tell prospective members that we can teach the technical rescue skills needed, but we can’t teach them how to be comfortable and effective while working long hours outdoors in adverse conditions.

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Share Your Story: The deadline for the 2021 edition of Accidents in North American Climbing is not far off. If you were involved in a climbing accident or rescue in 2020, consider sharing the lessons with other climbers. Let’s work together to reduce the number of accidents. Reach us at [email protected].

The monthly Accidents Bulletin is supported by adidas Outdoor and the members of the American Alpine Club.

The Prescription - December 2020

Medical helicopter departing from the ridge below Sister Superior, above Castle Valley, Utah. Behind are the Priest, the Rectory, and Castleton Tower. Photo courtesy of Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue

The Prescription - December 2020

GROUND FALL ON SISTER SUPERIOR

An accident last November on the first pitch of Jah Man (5 pitches, 5.10+), a desert tower route near Moab, Utah, was documented in the new Accidents in North American Climbing. One day later, a second helicopter rescue occurred, after a fall on the same pitch. These climbers’ online-only report is reproduced here.

On November 15, 2019, Paige (female, 20) and I (male, 24) set out to climb the ultra-classic Jah Man on Sister Superior. We made it to the base of the tower about 11 a.m. and found another party making their way to the top of the first pitch. We figured we’d eat a small lunch to allow for ample space between us.

We agreed that Paige would lead first and combine the first two guidebook pitches, concluding with a long, moderate squeeze chimney. Paige started up the opening moves, making it about 15 feet off the ground before stopping on a little ledge, preparing to make a rightward traverse to the base of the chimney. She placed a number 0.75 Camalot horizontally in some questionable rock, intending to back-clean it after making the next moves, in order to minimize rope drag. This was the only piece of gear between her and the ground.

Paige moved to the right, then returned to the ledge to re-evaluate. After repeating this a couple of times, I suggested she downclimb and have me take this pitch, as I had climbed the route a few years prior. She wanted to give it one more try before backing off. Having weighted the piece, she felt confident enough to go for it. She made some moves and then fell and swung back to the left. The cam ripped out of the wall, sending her about 20 feet to the ground.

The Sister Superior formation showing the approximate area that collapsed in January 2020. The Jah Man route began near the left edge of the yellow box. Photo courtesy of Greg Child

She was unconscious and not breathing at first. After what seemed to be forever but in reality was probably only 20 seconds, she started taking short breaths. A few minutes later, she regained consciousness. Another party at the base had cell phone service and called for a rescue. Paige was concussed and complaining of pain in her neck but was moving her hands and feet.

After an hour, a helicopter arrived, dropping off a couple EMTs. (They informed us that they had worked on an accident at the very same spot the day before—see report here.) They evaluated Paige, and she ended up feeling well enough to walk about 60 yards to the helicopter. She was flown to the hospital in Moab, where she was diagnosed with three fractures in her upper back and lower neck.

Analysis

We were planning to link the first two pitches and were more conscious of rope drag than fully protecting the first part of the pitch. We have both spent plenty of time cragging in the desert (Indian Creek, Zion, etc.), but tower climbing is different, often with more loose rock. The traverse to the squeeze chimney was known to have subpar rock and tricky protection. We should have focused more on protecting the climb properly than linking pitches. (Source: Greyson Gyllenskog.)

And as if two accidents in two days wasn’t enough….

In early January 2020, less than two months after these incidents, the start of this famous climb and the huge flake forming the squeeze chimney collapsed. The original route is no longer climbable.

THE SHARP END: A 200-FOOT TUMBLE DOWN THE NORTH CHIMNEY OF LONGS PEAK

On the morning of September 5, Annie Weinmann and her climbing partner started up the North Chimney, a broad 500-foot slot that leads climbers to the Diamond, Colorado's premier alpine wall. Annie had done the North Chimney before and was comfortable climbing the easy terrain unroped and in approach shoes. But when she got slightly off-route, a foot slip led to a terrible tumble.

In Episode 39 of The Sharp End podcast, Annie tells Ashley Saupe what caused her to slip and how she survived her 200-foot fall, plus some fascinating insights into the circumstances that brought her to this point. Listen here!

AIRBAG SAFETY CHECK

Mammut is asking owners of the Generation 3.0 avalanche airbag with Removable Airbag System (RAS) to inspect the inflation cartridge and ensure it can be screwed into place completely. This notice affects only airbags purchased during the 20/21 season. For complete information and instructions, click here.

MEET THE VOLUNTEERS

Gary O’Brien, Regional Editor for Idaho

Years volunteering with ANAC: 2

Home crags: Logan and Blacksmith Fork canyons in northern Utah; City of Rocks and Castle Rocks in Idaho.

Favorite type of climbing

I am most drawn to the alpine environment and love to climb alpine rock and snow. We also spend plenty of time trad and sport climbing. I enjoy belaying my climbing-addicted 14-year-old, who is on the verge of sending his first 5.13.

How did you first become interested in Accidents?

I have been reading them for years—as a kid, I used to pore over my father’s stash of ANAC from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. For a decade or so, I worked as a professional ski patroller, and that experience brought into sharp relief the fine line between safe practice and serious accidents. For me, the margin between accident and prevention has always seemed a compelling part of this amazing sport.

Why do you think accident reporting is important?

Statistics don’t lie—trends are incredibly revealing of human behavior, and are underpinned by real lives lost, real lives affected. I think about this with every accident I analyze. The main thing I think we can learn and reinforce is how common and preventable so many of them are, if we take a moment to review precautions and strategy of what we’re about to do.

Personal scariest “close call”?

I’m happy to report that I’ve had very few close calls over the years, but one stands out. Years ago, I was climbing Mont Blanc by the standard route. The route crosses the Couloir du Goûter, a steep, wide gully notorious for rockfall. After reaching easier terrain on the other side, my partner and I unroped. Without warning, a barrage of huge boulders swept down and struck my partner, who disappeared over the edge and fell some 500 meters down the couloir to the Glacier de Bionnassay.

The rescue is a long story, but, in short, I was able to locate and stabilize him. A nearby guided party notified the PGHM (High Mountain Military Police). We carried my partner down the glacier in a litter, which took most of the night. He was hospitalized for weeks with multiple injuries, but eventually enjoyed a complete recovery.

Gary O’Brien’s scary experience in the Couloir du Goûter is far from an isolated incident. This broad gully, which must be crossed to reach the high hut on Mont Blanc’s most popular summit route, is one of the most dangerous passages in the Alps, with numerous injuries and a few fatalities every season. (The alternative “normal route” up Mont Blanc, starting at the Refuge des Cosmiques, also has serious objective hazards.) The Petzl Foundation sponsored research on the causes and timing of rockfall in the Couloir du Goûter during the summers of 2018 and 2019, and their informative study, published this past summer, can be downloaded here.

The research team used seismic sensors to determine the timing of rockfall events and correlate them with snow levels, temperature, and rainfall. As might be expected, rockfall was most frequent after precipitation and during the afternoons and evenings. Perhaps more surprising: Snow in the couloir did not reduce the incidence of rockfall early in the season, as melting snow appeared to destabilize the slopes. Later-season rockfall events, though less frequent, often were bigger and longer lasting.

Petzl has produced a short video that vividly highlights the dangers of the Couloir du Goûter and the research work there. Warning: This video contains very disturbing images and audio of rockfall and other incidents.  

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