Fatal Alpine Accidents

  An experienced rock climber had not placed any protection on a climb before he fell 10 metres to his death on Christchurch’s Port Hills, a coroner has found. Paul Corridon​, 71, had climbed for about 25 years and was a volunteer mentor at the New Zealand Alpine Club (NZAC), climbing two or three times a week. Corridon was climbing Face Variation, a 16-metre “trad” route on Rapaki Rock on the morning of November 10, 2019. A trad route is one in which climbers carry their own protective gear and place equipment into cracks in the rock before clipping a rope in to protect against a fall. In findings recently released by the coroner, climbing companion Sam Leary​ said the plan was that Corridon would climb first and place anchors before belaying from the top. Leary estimated that at one point Corridon was at least 5.5 metres off the ground and had not placed any anchors. Leary said he alerted Corridon to his lack of protection, and he appeared to be looking for a crack in the rock fa...

"..The rope attached to two Australian climbers may have swung like a pendulum against sharp rock when they fell, causing it to sever and the men to plummet 300m to their deaths, a coroner says.  James Harry Spaile, ​44, of New South Wales, and Brett Alexander Lentfer,​ 62, of Canberra, fell 300m from the Remarkables mountain range on November 6, 2019.  They were climbing the Grand Traverse with a guide of 30 years' experience who worked for Wānaka-based Aspiring Guides at the time, a report by Coroner Marcus Elliott says.  The Grand Traverse is a challenging route along the steep and exposed ridge line between Single and Double Cones with views to the valley 2000m below. ..the guide was anchored about 12m away when the men fell, round the corner of a wide ledge.  The guide could not see them but could communicate with them.  Spaile and Lentfer were at the previous anchor point on a ledge and needed to move about 12m to get to the new anchor point.  The rop...