the Sharp End Podcast

Raf Andronowski is a highly skilled ice climber, photographer, and gear reviewer (http://thealpinestart.com) who lives in the Canadian Rockies. But even the most experienced climbers may have a lapse in judgment...with painful consequences.

On November 12, David had just finished a two-pitch climb outside of Joshua Tree National Park in California. From the top, he lowered his partner to a big ledge so she could walk off. He then decided to down climb to the ledge without a belay. In this episode, David describes the accident that followed with remarkable self-awareness and good humor.

Around sunset on November 7, 2015, Angela Uys (26) was at an anchor partway up Snake Dike on Half Dome, preparing to rappel. Her tether system was not effectively clipped to the anchor, and when she weighted the system it failed. She fell approximately 500 feet to her death. In this episode, Ashley speaks with Yosemite climbing ranger Jesse McGahey, who responded to and investigated this tragedy,...

Climber and backcountry skier Steven Lozano summited Mount St. Helens with a friend on a beautiful April day. When two climbers joined them on top, one of them, who was making his 69th ascent of the mountain, asked Steven to take a photo of him with Mt. Rainier in the background. What happened next will be seared into Lozano's memory forever.

Felipe Proaño, a North Face sponsored climber and native of Ecuador, took a long fall off Black Elk, a classic 5.11 climb in Wyoming's Wind River Range, and nearly left a finger behind. Felipe tells Ashley how his desire to be a "badass" backfired, with painful results.

Alina and Ben were climbing the Braille Book in Yosemite Valley. When Alina slipped while leading the third pitch, she fell much, much further than expected and suffered a serious spinal injury. In this episode, Ashley talks to both climbers about what went wrong that day and how Alina is recovering from the accident. Alina blogs about her recovery at http://SmallRestlessHuman.com.

Three experienced climbers were enjoying a warm winter outing in Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon when rockfall destroyed their belay anchor. Ashley talks with climbing guide Carl Dec about what happened that day and how good anchor-building decisions saved their lives.

Nick Thurston and his climbing partner were surprised by a severe thunderstorm high on California's Bear Creek Spire. In this episode, Nick describes the lightning bolt that struck his partner and how they escaped without more serious injuries. Plus: Ashley suggests ways climbers can minimize their risk of lightning strikes when they are caught out.

We think of bolts as offering bomproof anchors and protection. But many of the bolts used by climbers today were placed at least 20 to 30 years ago, and they were never designed to be used by climbers in the first place. In 2015, a climber in California died when an old bolt failed under his body weight. In this episode, Ashley speaks with Jason Haas and Brady Robinson about bolt safety. Should cl...

Mountaineering ranger Dave Weber describes a sobering incident in the Ruth Gorge of Alaska. Plus, Dave and Ashley discuss the realities of rescue missions and his thoughts on avoiding accidents in the mountains. Read the full story of this accident: http://bit.ly/1rGb1IU.

Eric Hengesbaugh had planned an expedition into the Palisades section of the High Sierra, with support from an AAC Live Your Dream grant. But a fall during his very first climb left him with a broken ankle and back injury, hundreds of feet above the ground. Amazingly, Eric captured the entire incident on a portable recorder. Afterward, he crafted a moving podcast telling the story of the accident...

Blake Bowling aimed to redpoint 1,500 routes in Kentucky's Red River Gorge. The Madness, a 5.13 route at the Motherlode, would be number 1,499. When a friend came by his camper van and asked if Blake wanted to climb, he grabbed the rope he'd already used many times before while rehearsing the moves on the Madness. This time, however, using that rope would be a near-fatal mistake. Sharp End host As...

Ashley interviews Seth Adams, who fell into a crevasse in Alaska's Hayes Range last spring. Hear Seth describe this scary incident and what he learned about traveling Alaskan glaciers. Here's a link to the report that will appear in Accidents 2016: http://bit.ly/20Cy2bV. And here's Seth's original account of the crevasse fall, republished at the Climbing Zine: http://bit.ly/1SUlqvl.