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Most Dangerous Rock Climbs in the USA
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Rockfall, runouts, choss, bad bolts....What are the most dangerous climbs? Thanks for the input, really curious to know your opinions and I think this could make a good reference for those who may be planning trips and are beginners. |
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Bachar-Yurian, You Asked for it, and The Prophet. |
Doctor Chosswrote: Where are those located and why do you think they are dangerous? |
Rawk Tawkwrote: The Bachar-Yerian is in Tuolumne ans is severely runout. It's graded 5.11X. The route is responsible for many broken ankles and legs. |
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definitely double cross |
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The bastille crack |
TJ Bindseilwrote: In terms of number of observed accidents, seems like a candidate. Neighboring route Werk Supp has it's share of accidents also. Interesting distinction between what is the most objectively hazardous to an experienced climbers, versus which routes actually see the most accidents (often due to high traffic from inexperienced climbers). Which other routes are notorious accident-magnets? |
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What was that route that not long ago had 2 separate solo incidents? 1 rescue, 1 fatality IIRC... |
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Reticent wall and or (Welcome to Wyoming/psycho killer pitch) Basically any real A5, I know a lot of you roll your eyes when aid climbing is bought up. I think it is undeniably though that when you are on body weight pieces for 60 feet like on the crux of the reticent wall. Even though there is not a lot of accidents every year the inherent risk is there. |
Finn Lanverswrote: Where are the bodies, though? |
Desert Rock Sportswrote: Werk's Supp had two fatalities days apart. First one was a visiting leader that failed to find any decent pro within the first thirty feet of pitch one. He falls, decks, and sadly dies. His fiancée comes out to talk with the park rangers, who then take her to view the scene of the accident. While they are talking, a free soloist from Oklahoma who had taken a serious fall soloing in the past pops off the route and decks right next to them with fatal results. |
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While not necessarily objectively the most dangerous route, Sam’s Swan Song on Cannon Mt., NH has seen multiple serious accidents and incidents, including several fatalities. It has a combination of loose rock ( large loose blocks are a common feature on Cannon, but seem particularly so on that route), modest grade (5.7), length, difficult route finding, changeable weather that comes from behind the mountain, which all contribute to the accident rate. |
Alan Rubinwrote: Several of these factors are likely common to many of the "accident prone" routes. Most of these likely fit into the "accessible but serious" category, where it is an inviting and popular moderate route, but various factors make it more hazardous than it's popularity would suggest. Another one like this is Sahara Terror at Tahquitz, plus a few neighboring routes on the north (loose) side of Tahquitz. |
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https://www.mountainproject.com/route/105759807/kinnder-rooten everything bad ever written about Eldo is true...at least on the Rotwand. |
Finn Lanverswrote: Climbers who have not done hard aid don't understand the delicacy and the art of it. |
Rawk Tawkwrote: The ones with the most noobs. What is “danger” anyway? To me it’s tricky routes with the least predictability, but to most people it’s probably the ones with the most deaths or injury. The tricky ones only get attempted by those worthy and therefore not much death/injury. Tis a silly question. |
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K2? Or are we leaving alpine/mountaineering out? |
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Not a crag that will ever be nationally known, but Winter Wall in Diablo Canyon deserves to be taken more seriously than it often is. Lots of moderates, so it attracts noobs. South-facing, blocky basalt that exfoliates rapidly--right where the noobs congregate. Several popular, easy sport routes have really high anchors, and are usually cleaned via 2-rope rappel...but people want to TR them, so you have rope-passing, mid-rope tie-ins, climbers and belayers trying to communicate in the wind while two pitches apart. No one of these variables is all that bad, but it's a serious combination. We had a fatality years back (and that's something in our small community). Climber was TRing, tied in short and went to clean anchors. End of the day, windy, cold, tired. She went in direct. Kept fiddling around and shouting "take" to belayer, who obliged. Then she free fell, still tied into rope. She'd clipped the dangling end of the rope though the fixed biners. Maybe the combination of rope weight and wind made it feel to her that the take was on. She knew how to do this correctly, but didn't that day. She is missed. I'm not saying this area is as objectively dangerous as anything listed above. Anyone with multi-pitch experience could safely navigate this place--in the right mindset. But easy sport climbing doesn't inspire that mindset, and I worry about some of the people I see up there. |
jacob m swrote: Ah yes, K2. The most dangerous rock climb in the US. |
