Josh Creasser, an experienced climber from Las Vegas, stood below the 1,000-foot Original Route (5.12b) on the Rainbow Wall at Red Rocks. It was December 1, at around 9 a.m., a dry, sunny winter day. He was there to rope-solo the big wall, waiting for the party ahead of him to finish ascending a rope fixed to the top of the second pitch....

On January 12 a climber from Alma, Colorado, was severely injured when the Fang, a famous ice climb in the Vail amphitheater, collapsed. The climber, age 34, was attempting the freestanding pillar in lean conditions....

On August 23, Brad Chum Carter and Boyd Fackler walked up to climb on the Sport Wall at Index's Upper Town Wall near Seattle. Carter chose the techy, vertical Calling Wolfgang (5.12b), bolted in 1990 by Greg Child.

Carter climbed to the first bolt and paused to check it out. I knew the route was old and had not been inspected for a while, he said. The bolt seemed OK so I figured they were all the same....

Bowline comes undone—again....

When Cri Boratensky heard a “pop” as he lowered off the Rigid Designator, a classic Colorado ice climb, he assumed his rope had slipped over a small hump above, and thought nothing of it. ...

Most climbers take carabiner integrity for granted, but a common mistake can snap biners at low loads....

At the top of Central Gully (WI 2), John told his two partners he was too exhausted for the four-mile walkout, and that they should go ahead and get......

Overenthusiastic climber cracks his skull in a 50-footer...

On Thursday, February 12, Wes Walker and Jason Grubb loaded up and drove 11 hours to Cody, Wyoming, for the annual South Fork Ice Festival. The two climbers, from Florida and Texas respectively, were enjoying their first season of ice climbing while living and working in the mountain town of Carbondale, Colorado....

Fractured skull suggests that time is running out on old helmets....

On Monday, October 13, a group of three decided to climb the steep and popular Ro Shampo (5.12a) at the Red River Gorge's Roadside Crag. The leader completed the climb without incident and was lowered to the ground. The second climber elected to tie into the middle of the 60-meter (200-foot) rope, and toproped the overhanging climb on the side of the rope clipped through the draws. ...

Climber raps off rope, may have mistaken end marker for middle....

Saturday, August 30 was an excellent day for a romp up Captain Hook, a multi-pitch 5.7 outing at Suicide Rock near Idyllwild, California. Trevor Mathews, 21, and his climbing partner Claire McKay, 22, completed the first pitch without incident. ...

On May 23, British climbers John Beckwidth and Rob Ellender woke up on Long Ledge, 31 pitches up El Capitan, to damp, whiteout conditions. The Brits had spent the last five days climbing the Salathe Wall (VI 5.9 C2) and were eager to summit, a mere three pitches away....