Newsgroups: rec.climbing Subject: Re: How many El Cap Deaths? Bigwallbob wrote: > >How many El Cap climbing deaths? > >I was trying to figure this out with a guy doing Bad Seed, while >waiting to do Zodiac. Morbid subject, but I really am interested, >as I am trying to write an article comparing the dangers of big wave >surfing to big wall climbing. How many total climber deaths on El Cap? >Not counting base jumpers or rappellers. >We figured around ten. Anyone with a more exact answer? I count 16-18 [now 21-24], starting from your list, and looking though my collection of "Accidents in North American Mountaineering" (ANAM) from about 1974-1996. Of course, it's hard to assess the risks without knowing the number of climbers on El Cap during that period of time. Clint Cummins ---------------- >1-2. Two people who fell off the Trip. 1 - fixed rope cut by sharp/rough rock while jumaring back to top of p2 (late 70s?). Maybe the same as #17 below. 2 - Carol Moyer, 1983 (ANAM 1984). Following a downward diagonal pitch 4 on jumars, when they came off the rope (she wasn't tied in to end of rope). >3-5. The "American Triangle" accident--three guys? I presume you are referring to the 3-guy fatality while rapping down the Stovelegs on the Nose. The hanger they were clipped to had a pre-existing crack, and they weren't clipped to the other hanger(s). It was an old Dolt hanger, which was made of metal that was too brittle. I have heard they loaded it beyond their combined weight when a haul bag was cut loose, I'm not sure if this was confirmed. (1978) It was witnessed by Rick Accomazzo, Dick Shockley, Alan Nelson and Karl Mueller, who were hiking up to the base of El Cap. Investigated by Tom Rohrer, who established that rappel anchor. John Dill found a piece of the broken hanger at the base of the wall and had it analyzed by a metallurgist - it was too brittle. >6-7. Japanese on the Nose (2) Sadatamo Keiso, Kenji Yatuhashi, November 17, 1984 (ANAM 1985). They froze on the last pitch (50' from the top), in a snowstorm. >8. the careening body that John Long mentioned off the Nose (1) Vague reference. Do you mean: Mike Blake, 1973 (ANAM 1974). He was jumaring the last pitch, Jumar or tie-in failed, but he was tied into the end of the rope. However, the rope broke. It was never determined exactly why, because there were no obvious sharp edges. Perhaps a defect in the rope. >9-10. He thought two others on the Nose. 1 - Wolfgang Schrattner, 1987 (ANAM 1988). Was following the Great Roof pitch on jumars. He was on the final traverse when he fell when one of his jumars was off the rope. He was tied in to the end of the rope, but he hit his head on the rock after going 150' and died. 2 - Robert Dietmar Kuhn, 1988 (ANAM 1989). Was leading Pancake Flake, when he pulled off a 3' loose block. It cut his rope and he fell to the ground. 11. Matt Baxter, Zenyata Mondata, 4/1/1996. Rope cut on a flake during a leader fall on pitch 3. Fell 300' to ground. >More? 12. Jeff Hall, Nose, 1977 (ANAM 1978). Retreating from the Dolt Hole back towards Sickle Ledge. Their rope was jammed in the crack below Dolt Hole, he was working to free it, but his locking biner came off the rope, and he fell to the ground. 13. David Kays, Nose, April 1980 (ANAM 1981). Was soloing the route, got to 250' from the top when a storm hit. He died of hypothermia. 14. Dragan Rogic, 1988 (ANAM 1989). Was rappelling down fixed lines on Aquarian Wall, when he fell off while passing a knot. 15. Ik Tae Choi, 1995 (ANAM 1996). Was rappelling down the East Ledges descent after having climbed the Nose. He became detached from his rappel device while trying to free a stuck haul bag that was being lowered. [at this point, my collection of ANAMs ends...] 16. Austrian, Magic Mushroom. Details in Chris MacNamara's Big Walls book. [posted by Chris MacNamara to rec.climbing] 17. Chris Robbins, Tangerine Trip, 1978 (communication from Alan Lennard, correction from Russ Walling). An accident occurred while he was jumaring. This may be the same as the severed rope accident listed above as #1. 18. West Face, Jumar accident, rope cut. (pg. 244 Wilderness Search and Rescue, Setnicka). 19. Joseph E. Crowe, 12/28/2002. He was fixing to pitch 4 on Zodiac when a sudden snowstorm blew in. He called for help at 7:30pm, but when the rescuers arrived at 11pm, he had died, probably from hypothermia. He was at the end of a rope, 25' off the ground when the rescue party found him. 20. new fatality 9/8/2004. He was cleaning pitch 5 on Tangerine Trip, when his ascenders failed or came off the rope. He either did not have a backup, or his backup failed. He was part of a team of 3. 21. Mariko Ryugo, Ryoichi Yamamoto, Nose, 10/19/2004. Snowstorm on the night of 10/16, severe continued through 10/19, rescue attempt began (hiking to top in storm/heavy snow) at 4am on 10/19, but pronounced dead by helicopter inspection on 10/20. They were just above Camp 6. The team had been on the wall for 6 days. ------------ 2 pure rappellers that I know of: 1. Jim Madsen, ~1968, rappelling down the Dihedral Wall to check on friends. He rappelled off the end of the rope (even though it had a knot). 2. Robert Moore, 1992 (ANAM 1993) on a 2000' (150 pound) single rope on the Dawn Wall. Insufficient friction in rappel device, got out of control and hit the wall hard.