Lightning Loves Climbers: Lightning Awareness Tips

It's almost summer here in Colorado. The other day I was climbing out at Atomic Energy Crag, a wild and lonely cliff band perched high above the Paradox Valley in extreme western Colorado. It was early afternoon, sunny and warm. While cranking our fifth route, I heard a distant rumble of thunder. Looking west, I could see dark clouds begin to swell over the La Sal Mountains, a high range of pointed peaks that separated us from Moab in Utah. I continued to watch west while Ian threaded the anchors and then saw a distant flash. "Hey," I said, "I think it might rain and lightning would be evil up here. Why don't we go down and go bouldering on those blocks by the Dolores River and see what happens?" As we threaded down the twisting road in Ian's big truck, a few raindrops spattered the windshield and a lightning bolt struck on the northern rim of the valley.

If you've ever been in a lightning storm while climbing, you know it's scary and dangerous. It only takes one close call to make you forever cautious about the dangers of lightning when you're high on the side of a cliff. It's almost summer now. The air is warming and thunderstorms are building up by the early afternoon.

This past week, in honor of lightning season, I've been creating a new series of articles about lighting safety for climbers. Check out the following links to stay safe from lightning:

Photo above: Watch out! Lightning, like climbers, loves high places. Evening lightning over Canyonlands National Park in Utah.
Photograph © Marc Romanelli/Getty Images