On May 27th, Yosemite Search and Rescue mobilized to respond to a climber accident on the Nose at Camp V. The climbing party was able to contact YOSAR using a cell phone and notify responders to the details of the incident.
Before the accident, there were five climbers collected near Camp VI. A team of two and a team of three had been climbing alongside each other over the previous days. A member of the team of three was leading midway up the Changing Corners pitch, when the group noticed a piece of gear had landed on a small ledge roughly 25′ below Camp VI. In a quick conversation, one member of the team of three decided to rappel to the gear and retrieve it. The other climbers noticed the climber lean back before falling from the Camp VI ledge. The climber fell to the end of the rope at Camp V.
The leader immediately lowered to Camp VI and then continued to the climber at Camp V. The climber died from the fall, and the leader called YOSAR to initiate assistance in the recovery. A team of rescuers were flown to the top of El Cap, along with 2400′ of rope and equipment to rig two lines for accessing Camp V – roughly 1000′ below the rim. Two lower/raise operations were completed just before darkness to bring the team of three off the wall.
In an accident like this, it can be hard to understand what happened. The climber’s belay device (Gri-Gri) was seen clipped to their harness and closed. They had either fallen before placing the device on the line, or assumed the device was rigged when it was not. To the partner’s knowledge, the climber unclipped their attachment to the rope/anchor before falling from the ledge.
As climbers we change our personal anchor countless times when moving locations at ledges, rigging for rappel, changing over from jugging to belaying, sometimes when we are trying to sort out clusters at belays. On walls, we are trying to move quickly and efficiently, and after days hanging in a harness, ledges become places to relax. Switching to rappel is one of the most dangerous moments in climbing. Many experienced climbers have died from making a mistake in rigging a rappel. Whenever you switch from one point of attachment to another, please make sure that you are secure on your next attachment before unclipping.
It’s been a difficult start to the season in Yosemite. We all attempt to operate within our personal safety margins, but accidents do occur. Take your time to double-check critical moments and look out for one another – on and off the wall.
