Accidents

Synopsis

This page contains a collection of reports on accidents that have happened on VOC trips or to VOC members. It is intended to serve as an educational resource to help VOCers to avoid similar accidents in the future.

Accidents are currently organized in four categories: Climbing, Mountaineering, Skiing and Other. Within the categories reports are listed chronologically.

Please keep reports succinct and impersonal (you can use participant initials). Include the trip objective, date, location and a link to any discussion thread on the message board. Please try to only post accidents that are important enough to have educational value.

Example

Here is an example report:

• Ground fall at Sugarloaf

August 26, 2007
Four VOCers were climbing at Sugarloaf in Murrin Park (Squamish, BC). JM started up a climb (Hot Wire) and placed a single cam. He then continued up to the crux. After some difficulties JM fell and the cam pulled. Since that was the only piece of protection, he landed on the ground, injuring his ankle after falling about 7 metres. Subsequent analysis resulted in the conclusion that another piece could have been placed below the crux and that dirt in the cam prevented proper operation and contributed to it pulling out.
Message board link

For more examples, visit ACC's Alpine Accidents in Canada website.

Climbing

• Ground fall at Sugarloaf

August 26, 2007
Four VOCers were climbing at Sugarloaf in Murrin Park (Squamish, BC). JM started up a climb (Hot Wire) and placed a single cam. He then continued up to the crux. After some difficulties JM fell and the cam pulled. Since that was the only piece of protection, he landed on the ground, injuring his ankle after falling about 7 metres. Subsequent analysis resulted in the conclusion that another piece could have been placed below the crux and that dirt in the cam prevented proper operation and contributed to it pulling out.
Message board link

Skiing

• Edmonds Glacier Avalanche

April 20 2006 Four VOC members were doing a ski traverse that went through the upper tchaikazan valley. An avalanche was triggered descending from the Chapman Glacier to the Edmonds Glacier. It was snowing at the time, and there was 30-40cm of new storm snow and the slope was cross loaded. The avalanche was size 2, about 200m wide and 200m long. The debris was up to 1m deep. SN descended the slope first and and traversed out to skier's left. SC started to descend before SN was completely safe. SC triggered a small sluff, which ran downhill and started a dry slab avalanche 5m below. The crown propagated 50m right and 150m left, releasing snow above SN. SN was able to ski off to the side without being caught in the debris. In this case, the party was caught off guard descending a south facing slope. Earlier in the day, the party had similarly steep north facing slopes with more snow loading without incident, and believed this south facing slope should be safer that what they had already passed. However, the south facing slope had a strong sun crust underneath the storm snow which acted as a sliding layer.

External Links

ACC's Alpine Accident in Canada