Explore the accidents
Pick an accident category, then open it to see how those accidents occurred and read the individual reports. Every level is deep-linkable.
Pick a starting point
Start with the accident category, then open it to see how those accidents happened and, for 2017, read the accidents themselves. A single accident can carry several cause tags, so bars within a level are comparable but do not sum to the accident count.
Contributing factors, ranked
All years, United States and Canada combined. No rope, not enough skill for the ground, and no useful protection account for 3,581 of the tags between them.
Climbing unroped
1,28414.8%
Exceeding abilities / inexperience
1,26314.5%
Placed no / inadequate protection
1,03411.9%
Inadequate equipment / clothing
8439.7%
Weather
6187.1%
Climbing alone
5446.3%
No helmet
4655.3%
Inadequate belay
3323.8%
Poor position
2813.2%
Nut / cam pulled out
2773.2%
Darkness
2082.4%
Loose rock / failure to test holds
1782.0%
Party separated
1511.7%
Failed to follow directions / route
1161.3%
Piton / ice screw pulled out
1021.2%
Exposure
841.0%
Illness
500.6%
Equipment failure
290.3%
Immediate causes, ranked
A fall or slip on rock is the immediate cause in 4,489 accidents — more than half the series, and more than the next six categories combined.
Fall or slip on rock
4,48951.6%
Fall on snow or ice
1,41516.3%
Falling rock, ice, or object
8519.8%
Exceeding abilities / inexperience
6407.4%
Illness
4925.7%
Stranded / lost
4815.5%
Rappel failure / error
4695.4%
Avalanche
4675.4%
Nut / cam pulled out
3063.5%
Exposure
3013.5%
Failure to follow route
2953.4%
Loss of control / glissade
2613.0%
Fall into crevasse / moat
2422.8%
Faulty use of crampons
1341.5%
Piton / ice screw pulled out
1081.2%
Skiing (ski mountaineering)
871.0%
Ascending too fast
790.9%
Lightning
750.9%
Equipment failure
210.2%
Lowering error
70.1%
How rappels fail
The one category the club has broken down itself. Uneven ropes, no backup and poor technique are 60% of rappelling accidents, and all three are the same thirty seconds at the anchor.
Uneven ropes, rappelled off the ends
29.0%
Inadequate anchor system
25.8%
Inadequate rappel backup
19.4%
Poor technique
11.3%
Inadequate equipment
9.7%
Unknown
4.8%
Mechanisms by event type
From the headline tags of the published 2017 reports. All four panels share one scale. Rappelling fails on rigging; roped falls on rock fail on communication.
Rope too short for the pitch
3
No rappel backup or autoblock
3
Uneven ropes
3
Lost control of the brake strand
2
No knot in the rope ends
2
Rappelled off the rope ends
1
Belayer pulled off station
1
Trusted old fixed anchor
1
Inattentive or inadequate belay
1
Miscommunication
7
Too little protection placed
6
Protection pulled out
3
Inattentive or inadequate belay
3
Off route
2
Rope cut or damaged
1
Taken off belay
1
Failed to clip the anchor
1
Loose rock or untested hold
1
Quickdraw unclipped itself
1
Belayer pulled off station
1
Could not self-arrest
4
Climbing unroped
2
Error at a transition
1
Bad tool or screw placement
1
Off route
1
Dropped or lost equipment
1
Crampons not worn
1
Off route
3
Chose not to rappel / stuck
1
Too little protection placed
1
Background factors
Tags describing the party or the day rather than the mechanism, across the same reports.
Inexperience
9
No helmet
7
Crowding at the crag
2
Fatigue
2
Poor snow or ice conditions
2
Climbing for speed
1
Dehydration
1
Inadequate equipment
1
Hypothermia
1
Caught out after dark
1
All years against 2017
Each cause as a share of accidents in its period. One year is a small sample, so read the direction, not the multiple. Rappelling, lowering and route-finding are up; unroped and alone are nearly gone.
1951–2016 cumulative2017 alone
Failed to follow route or directions
↑ 6.8×
Rappel & lowering error
↑ 2.9×
Loose rock / failed to test holds
↑ 2.9×
Nut or cam pulled out
↑ 2.2×
Poor position
↑ 1.5×
Inadequate belay
→ 1.1×
Exceeding abilities / inexperience
↓ 0.6×
No helmet
↓ 0.6×
Placed no / inadequate protection
↓ 0.5×
Weather
↓ 0.4×
Climbing alone
↓ 0.3×
Climbing unroped
↓ 0.2×
Cause families
Related categories from both halves of Table III, collapsed. An accident can land in more than one family, so these are upper bounds rather than a partition.
| Family | Tags 1951–2016 | Share of accidents | 2017 tags | 2017 share | Categories folded in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rope system not used or misused | 2,160 | 24.8% | 17 | 9.1% | Climbing unroped, climbing alone, inadequate belay |
| Skill and judgment gap | 1,903 | 21.9% | 18 | 9.7% | Exceeding abilities / inexperience, counted as both immediate and contributory cause |
| Protection or anchor placement failed | 1,827 | 21.0% | 26 | 14.0% | No or inadequate protection; nut, cam, piton or ice screw pulled out |
| Environment misread | 1,546 | 17.8% | 23 | 12.4% | Weather, loose rock, darkness, avalanche, lightning |
| Gear or clothing inadequate | 1,358 | 15.6% | 19 | 10.2% | Inadequate equipment / clothing, no helmet, equipment failure |
| Navigation and route-finding | 892 | 10.3% | 30 | 16.1% | Failure to follow route, failed to follow directions, stranded / lost |
| Descent-transition error | 476 | 5.5% | 30 | 16.1% | Rappel failure / error, lowering error |
Every number, as published
The full Table III, including the rows left out of the charts. Shares are against 8,693 cumulative accidents and 186 accidents in 2017.
| Category | U.S. 1951–2016 | Canada 1959–2016 | Total N. America | Share of accidents | 2017 only | 2017 share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climbing unroped | 1,110 | 174 | 1,284 | 14.8% | 6 | 3.2% |
| Exceeding abilities / inexperience | 1,057 | 206 | 1,263 | 14.5% | 17 | 9.1% |
| Placed no / inadequate protection | 929 | 105 | 1,034 | 11.9% | 11 | 5.9% |
| Inadequate equipment / clothing | 769 | 74 | 843 | 9.7% | 12 | 6.5% |
| Weather | 542 | 76 | 618 | 7.1% | 5 | 2.7% |
| Climbing alone | 470 | 74 | 544 | 6.3% | 3 | 1.6% |
| No helmet | 390 | 75 | 465 | 5.3% | 6 | 3.2% |
| Inadequate belay | 303 | 29 | 332 | 3.8% | 8 | 4.3% |
| Poor position | 253 | 28 | 281 | 3.2% | 9 | 4.8% |
| Nut / cam pulled out | 244 | 33 | 277 | 3.2% | 13 | 7.0% |
| Darkness | 185 | 23 | 208 | 2.4% | 2 | 1.1% |
| Loose rock / failure to test holds | 131 | 47 | 178 | 2.0% | 11 | 5.9% |
| Party separated | 139 | 12 | 151 | 1.7% | 3 | 1.6% |
| Failed to follow directions / route | 98 | 18 | 116 | 1.3% | 17 | 9.1% |
| Piton / ice screw pulled out | 87 | 15 | 102 | 1.2% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Exposure | 68 | 16 | 84 | 1.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Illness | 41 | 9 | 50 | 0.6% | 2 | 1.1% |
| Equipment failure | 22 | 7 | 29 | 0.3% | 1 | 0.5% |
| Other | 325 | 102 | 427 | 4.9% | 2 | 1.1% |
| Category | U.S. 1951–2016 | Canada 1959–2016 | Total N. America | Share of accidents | 2017 only | 2017 share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall or slip on rock | 4,173 | 316 | 4,489 | 51.6% | 62 | 33.3% |
| Fall on snow or ice | 1,194 | 221 | 1,415 | 16.3% | 23 | 12.4% |
| Falling rock, ice, or object | 703 | 148 | 851 | 9.8% | 13 | 7.0% |
| Exceeding abilities / inexperience | 604 | 36 | 640 | 7.4% | 1 | 0.5% |
| Illness | 465 | 27 | 492 | 5.7% | 5 | 2.7% |
| Stranded / lost | 418 | 63 | 481 | 5.5% | 13 | 7.0% |
| Rappel failure / error | 414 | 55 | 469 | 5.4% | 18 | 9.7% |
| Avalanche | 334 | 133 | 467 | 5.4% | 5 | 2.7% |
| Nut / cam pulled out | 295 | 11 | 306 | 3.5% | 2 | 1.1% |
| Exposure | 287 | 14 | 301 | 3.5% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Failure to follow route | 259 | 36 | 295 | 3.4% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Loss of control / glissade | 243 | 18 | 261 | 3.0% | 3 | 1.6% |
| Fall into crevasse / moat | 190 | 52 | 242 | 2.8% | 7 | 3.8% |
| Faulty use of crampons | 127 | 7 | 134 | 1.5% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Piton / ice screw pulled out | 95 | 13 | 108 | 1.2% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Skiing (ski mountaineering) | 73 | 14 | 87 | 1.0% | 10 | 5.4% |
| Ascending too fast | 79 | 0 | 79 | 0.9% | 1 | 0.5% |
| Lightning | 68 | 7 | 75 | 0.9% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Equipment failure | 18 | 3 | 21 | 0.2% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Lowering error | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0.1% | 12 | 6.5% |
| Other | 631 | 39 | 670 | 7.7% | 6 | 3.2% |
| Unknown | 73 | 10 | 83 | 1.0% | 15 | 8.1% |
| Category | U.S. 1951–2016 | Canada 1959–2016 | Total N. America | Share of accidents | 2017 only | 2017 share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock | 5,358 | 578 | 5,936 | 68.3% | 133 | 71.5% |
| Snow | 2,686 | 375 | 3,061 | 35.2% | 44 | 23.7% |
| Ice | 311 | 23 | 334 | 3.8% | 8 | 4.3% |
| River | 25 | 3 | 28 | 0.3% | 0 | 0.0% |
| Unknown | 25 | 11 | 36 | 0.4% | 1 | 0.5% |
| Category | U.S. 1951–2016 | Canada 1959–2016 | Total N. America | Share of accidents | 2017 only | 2017 share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascent | 4,295 | 631 | 4,926 | 56.7% | 71 | 38.2% |
| Descent | 1,413 | 402 | 1,815 | 20.9% | 70 | 37.6% |
| At top or bottom of route | 40 | 2 | 42 | 0.5% | 8 | 4.3% |
| Unknown | 308 | 15 | 323 | 3.7% | 37 | 19.9% |
The 2018-edition report tags
Each published report's headline as printed, beside the mechanism it was coded to. The grouping is mine; the tag wording is the editors'.
| Primary event | Headline tags, verbatim | Coded mechanism | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowering error | Rope Too Short For Climb | Rope too short for the pitch | Rappelling and lowering |
| Lowering error | Belayer Pulled Into Rock, No Helmet | Belayer pulled off station, No helmet | Rappelling and lowering |
| Lowering error | Rope Pulled Through Device, No Helmet | Lost control of the brake strand, No helmet | Rappelling and lowering |
| Lowering error | No Stopper Knot | No knot in the rope ends | Rappelling and lowering |
| Lowering error | Rope Too Short, Inattention | Rope too short for the pitch, Inattentive or inadequate belay | Rappelling and lowering |
| Lowering errors | Ropes Too Short, No Helmet | Rope too short for the pitch, No helmet | Rappelling and lowering |
| Rappel anchor failure | Trusting Old Gear | Trusted old fixed anchor | Rappelling and lowering |
| Rappel error | No Backups, No Helmet | No rappel backup or autoblock, No helmet | Rappelling and lowering |
| Rappel error | Rappelled Off End of Rope in Storm | Rappelled off the rope ends | Rappelling and lowering |
| Rappel error | Uneven Ropes, Inexperience, No Helmet | Uneven ropes, Inexperience, No helmet | Rappelling and lowering |
| Rappel error | No Backup | No rappel backup or autoblock | Rappelling and lowering |
| Rappel error | Uneven Ropes, No Stopper Knots | Uneven ropes, No knot in the rope ends | Rappelling and lowering |
| Rappel error | Burned Hands | Lost control of the brake strand | Rappelling and lowering |
| Rappel error | Uneven Ropes | Uneven ropes | Rappelling and lowering |
| Simul-rappelling error | No Backups | No rappel backup or autoblock | Rappelling and lowering |
| Anchor failure | Inadequate Communication and Teamwork | Miscommunication | Roped falls on rock |
| Belayer pulled into wall | Miscommunication | Miscommunication | Roped falls on rock |
| Belayer pulled into wall | No Ground Anchor | Belayer pulled off station | Roped falls on rock |
| Fall from anchor | Communication Problems | Miscommunication | Roped falls on rock |
| Fall on rock | Speed Climbing, Inadequate Protection | Climbing for speed, Too little protection placed | Roped falls on rock |
| Fall on rock | Communication Error, Taken Off Belay | Miscommunication, Taken off belay | Roped falls on rock |
| Fall on rock | Failure to Clip Anchor | Failed to clip the anchor | Roped falls on rock |
| Fall on rock | Off-Route | Off route | Roped falls on rock |
| Fall on rock | Inadequate Protection | Too little protection placed | Roped falls on rock |
| Fall on rock | Inattentive Belay | Inattentive or inadequate belay | Roped falls on rock |
| Fall on rock | Loose Rock, Inadequate Protection | Loose rock or untested hold, Too little protection placed | Roped falls on rock |
| Fall on rock | Inadequate Protection, Inexperience | Too little protection placed, Inexperience | Roped falls on rock |
| Fatal fall from anchor | Miscommunication | Miscommunication | Roped falls on rock |
| Fatal ground fall | Rope Likely Cut Over Edge | Rope cut or damaged | Roped falls on rock |
| Ground fall | Protection Pulled Out | Protection pulled out | Roped falls on rock |
| Ground fall | Inadequate Belay, No Helmet | Inattentive or inadequate belay, No helmet | Roped falls on rock |
| Ground fall | Inadequate Protection | Too little protection placed | Roped falls on rock |
| Ground fall | Protection Pulled Out, No Helmet | Protection pulled out, No helmet | Roped falls on rock |
| Ground fall | Quickdraw Unclipped From Bolt | Quickdraw unclipped itself | Roped falls on rock |
| Ground fall from anchor | Miscommunication | Miscommunication | Roped falls on rock |
| Ground fall from anchors | Miscommunication | Miscommunication | Roped falls on rock |
| Leader fall | Inexperience, Inadequate Belay | Inexperience, Inattentive or inadequate belay | Roped falls on rock |
| Leader fall onto ledge | Inexperience | Inexperience | Roped falls on rock |
| Ledge fall | Off-Route, Inadequate Protection | Off route, Too little protection placed | Roped falls on rock |
| Roped-soloing fall | Protection Pulled Out | Protection pulled out | Roped falls on rock |
| Crevasse fall | Climbing Unroped | Climbing unroped | Snow, ice and glacier |
| Crevasse fall and 16-hour rescue | Climbing Unroped | Climbing unroped | Snow, ice and glacier |
| Fall on ice | Transition Error, Inexperience | Error at a transition, Inexperience | Snow, ice and glacier |
| Fall on ice | Inadequate Tool Placements | Bad tool or screw placement | Snow, ice and glacier |
| Fall on ice | Fatigue, Dehydration | Fatigue, Dehydration | Snow, ice and glacier |
| Fall on ice | Failure to Self-Arrest, Inadequate Equipment | Could not self-arrest, Inadequate equipment | Snow, ice and glacier |
| Fall on snow | Inexperience, Poor Snow Conditions | Inexperience, Poor snow or ice conditions | Snow, ice and glacier |
| Fall on snow | Fatigue, Poor Snow Conditions | Fatigue, Poor snow or ice conditions | Snow, ice and glacier |
| Fall on snow | Failure to Self-Arrest, Loss of Equipment | Could not self-arrest, Dropped or lost equipment | Snow, ice and glacier |
| Fall on snow | Not Wearing Crampons, Failure to Self-Arrest | Crampons not worn, Could not self-arrest | Snow, ice and glacier |
| Ski mountaineering | Off-Route, Unable to Self-Arrest | Off route, Could not self-arrest | Snow, ice and glacier |
| Rockfall | Off-Route, Crowds | Off route, Crowding at the crag | Stranded, lost and rockfall |
| Rockfall, anchor failure | Overcrowding, Inexperience | Crowding at the crag, Inexperience | Stranded, lost and rockfall |
| Stranded | Failure to Rappel, Inexperience | Chose not to rappel / stuck, Inexperience | Stranded, lost and rockfall |
| Stranded | Suspected Hypothermia | Hypothermia | Stranded, lost and rockfall |
| Stranded | Off Route | Off route | Stranded, lost and rockfall |
| Stranded | Off-Route, Benighted | Off route, Caught out after dark | Stranded, lost and rockfall |
| Stranded in midair | Inadequate Protection | Too little protection placed | Stranded, lost and rockfall |
| Capitol Peak fatalities | Off-Route, Inexperience | Off route, Inexperience | Unroped and uncertain |
| Fatal fall | Possible Rappel Error | Mechanism never established | Unroped and uncertain |
| Fatal fall | Unroped Scrambling During Descent | Climbing unroped | Unroped and uncertain |