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Chockstone Forum - Accidents & Injuries

Report Accidents and Injuries

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Rock Climbing Rescues: Causes, Injuries, and Trend

gfdonc

12/07/2012
1:47:53 PM

Worthwhile cross-posting I thought:

Conclusions.—The occurrence of rock climbing–related rescue victims comprised one fifth of all rescue victims in Boulder County. A large fraction of incidents and fatalities resulted from unroped climbing. Incidents of lost or uninjured stranded climbers and belay incidents account for more than half of victims, which can likely be prevented by gaining appropriate experience, seeking local information, and applying some simple safety measures for control of rope belays.

http://www.rockymountainrescue.org/publications/2012_WEMJ_RMRG_Rock_Climb_Accidents.pdf

Olbert

12/07/2012
2:07:38 PM

Wow, some people really can't help themselves.
This quote was from the section discussing reasons for fatilities: "the failure of a top-rope anchor as a result of the climbing rope being threaded directly through the anchor webbing, and the failure of an anchor built from webbing spliced together using masking tape."

Reluctant

12/07/2012
2:31:47 PM

Masking tape hanging off a rack. New trend. Comes in colours. Always comes to a sticky end.

patto

12/07/2012
2:45:46 PM

The splice wouldn't have been done by the climber it would have been like that from the factory. Some rolls have splices in.

gfdonc

12/07/2012
3:52:54 PM

Yes and there was a court case a few years ago in Melbourne based around the same incident - the victim (who was instructing schoolchildren I believe) suing the supplier after taking a fall by going hand over hand down the freshly-uncoiled webbing to inspect the top of a cliff.

I don't have direct knowledge of the facts so take what I say with a grain of salt, but it was from a reliable source.

anthonycuskelly

12/07/2012
4:22:19 PM

Interesting read! Good to know that the things I worry about most (lead falls) are statistically unlikely to kill me...

ajfclark

12/07/2012
5:22:51 PM

On 12/07/2012 anthonycuskelly wrote:
>Interesting read! Good to know that the things I worry about most (lead falls) are statistically unlikely to kill me...

Groveller

13/07/2012
9:30:22 AM

Interesting how 2 of the injuries were from overdose. Good reading for new climber.

ajfclark

13/07/2012
9:36:26 AM

For those interested, the work by Sedgman is available here: http://uob-community.ballarat.edu.au/~isedgman/climbing/Accidents.pdf

anthonycuskelly

13/07/2012
10:25:57 AM

Indeed, but I'm too cautious at the moment, which leads to other problems.

Penny

20/07/2012
11:48:37 AM

"More than half of victims result from incidents occurring on weekends, with the midweek days accounting for the other half of climbing victims."

I wish I could come up with this brilliance...

Pat

20/07/2012
1:00:03 PM

Well maybe a careful reading of the statement could be interpreted as 'midweek' days being tuesday-thursday. Yeah that must be it, because I have never had an accident on Mondays or Fridays - how's that for brilliance Penny?

Edward Oslabofvic

20/07/2012
1:01:50 PM

All of my accidents have occured two weeks either side of a full moon. Now thats freaky!

Penny

20/07/2012
2:41:07 PM

On 20/07/2012 Pat wrote:
>Well maybe a careful reading of the statement could be interpreted as 'midweek'
>days being tuesday-thursday. Yeah that must be it, because I have never
>had an accident on Mondays or Fridays - how's that for brilliance Penny?

Brilliant :)

There are 14 messages in this topic.