Thoughts on recent fatal accident at Calico

Yesterday , reading an “Injuries and Accidents” thread I had contributed to, I found out that the injured climber died from his/her injuries.  I have been upset ever since, I cannot shake the disbelief that the accident could even have happened. Please read the background info here:

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/123871222/calico-basin-accident

 I’d like to make a couple of comments about the fatal accident, and a related one on the same route, with the sole intent that a thread posted here might reach more newer climbers, and it might give newer climbers a few ideas about practices that could increase their safety.  I’d like to invite anyone to add to this thread with their own ideas, especially if you disagree with what I have to say and can offer other ideas.

 I have no first-hand knowledge of the parties involved and my comments are based on the info contained in the above thread, which may not be accurate.

 The thread reports that on two relatively recent occasions, climbers were injured when their anchors pulled at the top of the route Soupy Sales in Calico Basin. I haven’t led this route but it’s the route that I downclimb to get from the top of that area to the base (rather than walking around), so I am familiar with it and with the area.

In the fatal accident, it was reported that the anchor consisted of two #2s and a #1.  I would say that, if properly built and in good rock, an anchor built with those three pieces would hold a factor 2 fall.  It doesn’t fail under body weight.  The leader made some kind of terrible error. Possibilities include that he/she didn’t really know how to make a good cam placement (undercammed?) or didn’t notice an existing fracture or a feature that could flex.  You have to inspect the rock and look for things like this.  If you don’t know what to look for, please get some professional instruction.

 There was a reference in the linked thread to the possibility that the rock might not have been fully dry following the recent heavy rains.  (If you ever have a stuck cam at red rock, dribble a little water on it and see how easily it comes out).  We will never know, but it’s worth stating that the real reason to be aware of possible issues with wet rock is not because you may break the rock, but because humans are easily broken when rock breaks.

Anyway,  it’s so obvious that it should not need to be said, but if you are going to build anchors, make sure you really understand the essentials about the physical characteristics of the rock you are using. Know what to look for with rock quality. Sandstone vs. granite vs. basalt etc do not behave the same way.  

In this fatal fall, it was reported that the leader had “run it out to the top” so there was not a piece close enough to keep them from hitting the ground when the anchor pulled.  Couple of points: 1) it is my habit to be redundant about gear placements near the ground, because ground falls are potentially so much worse than other lead falls.  But I also have a habit of trying to place a good piece as I near the ledge or stance where I will be building an anchor.  I’ve on more than one occasion arrived at the belay spot to find crappy rock, or not having the gear I want, etc, and it’s reassuring to know that there is a bomber piece 5 or ten feet below me. 2) The route in question is a 50 foot route.  In my opinion, if you are a new leader, there no position on a 50 foot route where it’s a wise decision to run it out.  The fact that the person in question hit the ground when the anchor pulled seems to imply that they were on a ground fall at the top of the route. When you are first starting out, lace things up.  3) Just as you should always test (weight) your rappel setup before unattaching from a fixed anchor, it’s just as important to test a TR anchor.  Was the anchor in question weight tested?  This is an unknown, but if there had been another lead piece at the top, this accident may only have been a lead fall, and not a ground fall.

In another fall on this same exact route some month previous, a different anchor pulled.  In this case it was thought that the anchor that pulled was a large cam in a large detached block at the top.  It was reported that the leader fell to the ground because he/she was cleaning all the gear on the way down.  Again, it’s an easy practice to leave a piece or two at the top as a backup to the anchor, esp if your anchor is out of sight.  

 There were some good comments from a Vegas local in the linked thread that he thought this route, while an easy lead, was not the easiest route to build a TR anchor on.  So I will repeat what I said in the linked thread: please consider if a TR anchor makes sense – and is the safest choice -  for the single pitch route you are doing.  This phenomenon of building TR anchors on single pitch routes where you have to walk off anyway seems to be a relatively recent one.  Where is this trend coming from?  Sometimes it is a far better choice to belay from the top.  On this route the local climber comments that you can construct a bomber belay anchor by slinging the block if you have a large amount of cord.  But you DO have a large amount of cord: it’s a 50 foot route and you have 150 feet of extra rope to play with.  Newer climbers seem to have tunnel vision about using their cordelettes (I’ve never owned one). Always remember when building anchors that you have that rope to use as a tool.

 These are just a couple of ideas about safety.  I encourage all climbers to join the AAC and read the annual accidents report.  Knowledge is power.

 My sincere condolences to the family and friends of the climber who died.  

So tragic. Thanks for posting this thoughtful analysis; it's very helpful for us inexperienced trad climbers.

I also dislike the glorification of running it out when not necessary. Before my first trad lead, my mentor said, "two pieces between you and the ground. Always." And that really stuck with me. It made me think about how far my falls could be and how much farther if my top piece pops, how often I should be protecting, and how important it is to not run it out near the ground. The top of a 50ft route is still near the ground for a trad climb.

phylp phylpwrote:

Yesterday , reading an “Injuries and Accidents” thread I had contributed to, I found out that the injured climber died from his/her injuries.  I have been upset ever since, I cannot shake the disbelief that the accident could even have happened. Please read the background info here:

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/123871222/calico-basin-accident

 I’d like to make a couple of comments about the fatal accident, and a related one on the same route, with the sole intent that a thread posted here might reach more newer climbers, and it might give newer climbers a few ideas about practices that could increase their safety.  I’d like to invite anyone to add to this thread with their own ideas, especially if you disagree with what I have to say and can offer other ideas.

 I have no first-hand knowledge of the parties involved and my comments are based on the info contained in the above thread, which may not be accurate.

 The thread reports that on two relatively recent occasions, climbers were injured when their anchors pulled at the top of the route Soupy Sales in Calico Basin. I haven’t led this route but it’s the route that I downclimb to get from the top of that area to the base (rather than walking around), so I am familiar with it and with the area.

In the fatal accident, it was reported that the anchor consisted of two #2s and a #1.  I would say that, if properly built and in good rock, an anchor built with those three pieces would hold a factor 2 fall.  It doesn’t fail under body weight.  The leader made some kind of terrible error. Possibilities include that he/she didn’t really know how to make a good cam placement (undercammed?) or didn’t notice an existing fracture or a feature that could flex.  You have to inspect the rock and look for things like this.  If you don’t know what to look for, please get some professional instruction.

 There was a reference in the linked thread to the possibility that the rock might not have been fully dry following the recent heavy rains.  (If you ever have a stuck cam at red rock, dribble a little water on it and see how easily it comes out).  We will never know, but it’s worth stating that the real reason to be aware of possible issues with wet rock is not because you may break the rock, but because humans are easily broken when rock breaks.

Anyway,  it’s so obvious that it should not need to be said, but if you are going to build anchors, make sure you really understand the essentials about the physical characteristics of the rock you are using. Know what to look for with rock quality. Sandstone vs. granite vs. basalt etc do not behave the same way.  

In this fatal fall, it was reported that the leader had “run it out to the top” so there was not a piece close enough to keep them from hitting the ground when the anchor pulled.  Couple of points: 1) it is my habit to be redundant about gear placements near the ground, because ground falls are potentially so much worse than other lead falls.  But I also have a habit of trying to place a good piece as I near the ledge or stance where I will be building an anchor.  I’ve on more than one occasion arrived at the belay spot to find crappy rock, or not having the gear I want, etc, and it’s reassuring to know that there is a bomber piece 5 or ten feet below me. 2) The route in question is a 50 foot route.  In my opinion, if you are a new leader, there no position on a 50 foot route where it’s a wise decision to run it out.  The fact that the person in question hit the ground when the anchor pulled seems to imply that they were on a ground fall at the top of the route. When you are first starting out, lace things up.  3) Just as you should always test (weight) your rappel setup before unattaching from a fixed anchor, it’s just as important to test a TR anchor.  Was the anchor in question weight tested?  This is an unknown, but if there had been another lead piece at the top, this accident may only have been a lead fall, and not a ground fall.

In another fall on this same exact route some month previous, a different anchor pulled.  In this case it was thought that the anchor that pulled was a large cam in a large detached block at the top.  It was reported that the leader fell to the ground because he/she was cleaning all the gear on the way down.  Again, it’s an easy practice to leave a piece or two at the top as a backup to the anchor, esp if your anchor is out of sight.  

 There were some good comments from a Vegas local in the linked thread that he thought this route, while an easy lead, was not the easiest route to build a TR anchor on.  So I will repeat what I said in the linked thread: please consider if a TR anchor makes sense – and is the safest choice -  for the single pitch route you are doing.  This phenomenon of building TR anchors on single pitch routes where you have to walk off anyway seems to be a relatively recent one.  Where is this trend coming from?  Sometimes it is a far better choice to belay from the top.  On this route the local climber comments that you can construct a bomber belay anchor by slinging the block if you have a large amount of cord.  But you DO have a large amount of cord: it’s a 50 foot route and you have 150 feet of extra rope to play with.  Newer climbers seem to have tunnel vision about using their cordelettes (I’ve never owned one). Always remember when building anchors that you have that rope to use as a tool.

 These are just a couple of ideas about safety.  I encourage all climbers to join the AAC and read the annual accidents report.  Knowledge is power.

 My sincere condolences to the family and friends of the climber who died.   

All good points but to reach people more effectively condense those points to bullets.

The climber probably set all three pieces in one feature thus never achieving redundancy.

Godspeed.

Good idea, it was a rather stream of consciousness outpouring before I left town. No computer right now, I’ll edit when I get back in town….

Mark Starrwrote:

. Before my first trad lead, my mentor said, "two pieces between you and the ground. Always."

Rarely even possible when you're low on the route.

Victor Creazziwrote:

Rarely even possible when you're low on the route.

All the more reason for extra caution when you're close to the ground.

Victor Creazziwrote:

Rarely even possible when you're low on the route.

It’s almost always possible 

Alex C wrote:

I thought the saying went “always keep two pieces between you and the hospital”

id revise all this tbh. When leading i think about what happens if the piece below me blows. People rarely die from trad falls on their own, but plenty have passed from a piece blowing and sending them to the ground/ledge etc.

re running it out to the anchor- this is really easy to do on easy climbs especially. I had a friend who encourage me to “put one in for mom”, and its a good reminder that sometimes people slip getting through that easy terrain to the anchor.

This accident has bothered me a lot too. I use this route frequently to teach. It doesn’t make sense to belay from above in the context of what I’m doing on this route and with the generally larger group I have.

I’m quite familiar with a combination of options to build this anchor and I wonder if a bolted anchor would improve the situation.

The rock quality in this locations isn’t amazing. Recently I found a block broken off that I’ve previously used as one placement.

Thoughts on a bolted anchor for soupy sales?

Moderate Mecca is convenient as far as currently free access and relatively short approach...

But for single pitch trad Willow Springs: Ragged Edges Area and Willow Springs South, the stuff to the left of Pillar Talk... is ridiculously better rock quality.

Desert Rock Sportswrote:

Moderate Mecca is convenient as far as currently free access and relatively short approach...

But for single pitch trad Willow Springs: Ragged Edges Area and Willow Springs South, the stuff to the left of Pillar Talk... is ridiculously better rock quality.

Willow springs including Willow Springs “South” faces north east and is “in the canyons” meaning that it is colder in the shade, gets more precip from Mount Charleston, then stays wet longer than Moderate Mecca - a south facing ridge with full sun and wind exposure.

If you’re supposed to climb dry rock and easy trad on a cold day Moderate Mecca is the ticket.

So how about that question of thoughts on a bolted anchor for Soupy Sales?

there’s one 10 feet to the right for a 10a top rope and another anchor 25 feet left for a 5.9 lead and another 20 more feet left too on Valentine’s Day and Ace of Hearts.

This is a classic area visited by the masses. They’ve already decided to use the area despite the poor rock quality. 

I am all for bolting anchors for these places, if anchors keep blowing we need to either need bolt up the anchors or do something else. I feel horrible for the families of the victims, hopfully we can do something in the future to prevent these kinds of events.

Indeed, there are numerous bolted anchors along this wall and adding one to this route is not out of character for the wall. It seems people using the route regularly know how/where to build anchors but newer climbers are not always finding solid placements because the rock quality near the edge is not ideal.

Two recent complete gear anchor failures, one resulting in a fatality, is enough for me to agree that adding a bolted anchor to this route is a good idea. I am happy to pay for hardware if someone wants to contact me directly.

If you don’t know the route… it’s a pretty short 5.6 which attracts new trad leaders and the belay is on a balcony type ledge halfway up the cliff.

The route is in the background of this photo taken the day members of my group witnessed a complete anchor failure on the route. It’s immediately to the left of the route the party in the background is climbing. The climber who fell the day I took this photo was okay but just barely missed falling over the edge of the cliff.

Alex Fletcherwrote:

This accident has bothered me a lot too. I use this route frequently to teach. It doesn’t make sense to belay from above in the context of what I’m doing on this route and with the generally larger group I have.

I’m quite familiar with a combination of options to build this anchor and I wonder if a bolted anchor would improve the situation.

The rock quality in this locations isn’t amazing. Recently I found a block broken off that I’ve previously used as one placement.

Thoughts on a bolted anchor for soupy sales?

You have my permission to bolt this choss if you think it will save a lyfe.

If it’s that bad, who’s to say the bolts won’t come out in chunks? Best go DEEP.

a few thoughts:  

1) Climbing is still primarily a mentorship sport, and as someone who got interested in trad without a mentor initially, I think I got very lucky.  There are several occasions where I put my life at risk retrospectively. I went out with people who would build sub-par anchors, and the only reason I had an inkling that it was not a bomber anchor was because of reading trad anchors by John long.  It can be hard to find a mentor for trad climbing - I wonder if there is a way we could connect people who are willing to share their knowledge with those who have less experience (this has its own flaws... how to vet the mentors, etc).  I feel experienced enough now to climb trad safely and mentor other climbers in specific situations, but I am always learning.  I feel so fortunate to have met many people more experienced and safe in trad along the way.  

2) consider hiring a guide. or doing a workshop.  some people may flinch at the price of a guide or workshop, but you have to ask yourself every time, how much is my life worth? You can gain an immense amount of knowledge in a day with a certified guide (AMGA).  Now this will not be ALL the knowledge you need to climb safely.  You have to asses every situation.  

3) if you are having trouble finding someone to mentor you, learn as much as you can.  I think John longs trad anchors is very good, and I'm sure there's other resources out there.  READING A BOOK IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE for REAL PRACTICE.  I read this book cover to cover twice while learning how to build anchors and would always have people I was out with double check them.  figure out how to test your anchors in a way that will not cause fatalities.  for me, the area I could build anchors, I would have someone bounce on the rope on the ground at multiple angles, two people preferably if I was climbing with more than just one partner.  I would stay up top and watch the anchor during this.  

join the aac, listen to their podcast, read the accident reports.  lets all work together to help prevent more accidents.  also experienced trad climbers - if you see something, say something.  

my heart goes out to this family.  

I have no problem pitching in for hardware for that crag, I think that the arguments against bolting up anchors don't hold up in this area. People are going to climb the routes either way, would you rather they rely in sketchy gear anchors or "bommer" bolts.

Finn Lanverswrote:

...or "bommer" bolts.

Bomber, as in bomb-proof.