The Magazine of The Sierra Club
Survive a Rock Climbing Fall
Two friends and I were climbing in the Sierra Nevada northwest of Bishop, California. I was leading the second pitch and had climbed about 10 feet above my last piece of protection when I went to pull myself over a lip and my feet slipped off the wall.
I fell about 20 feet, hitting a ledge before the rope caught me. My left foot absorbed all the impact.
We rappelled one pitch to the base. Some parts of the terrain were too steep and rocky for anyone to support me, so I crab-crawled, holding my left leg in the air. When I reached flatter ground, my pals helped me walk to the truck.
I rested that afternoon, soaking my foot in the icy creek that rushed by our camp.
The next morning, I drove seven hours back to Oakland, my left foot dangling out the driver's-side window. It turned out I had shattered the end of my tibia and fractured my fibula. Now I have a plate and screws holding my leg together.
Ask the Expert
Brandon Latham is the lead climbing ranger at Yosemite National Park.
"For a lead climber, it's all about managing risk. Place protection early and often, and know your surroundings—in this case, you're 10 feet above your last piece, and there's a ledge below that. For the belayer, it's good to know how to escape the belay and get an injured leader down. If an injury decreases your mobility, seek help soon. You could save on medical bills and get back on the rock more quickly."
