Loose rocks that are dislodged by a climber above are a leading cause of climbing accidents. Every year there are climbers who die on cliffs and in the mountains when a careless person above them knocks a rock off. Occasional fatal accidents also happen when some fool above intentionally throws chunks of rock off a cliff-top or from an overlook, with the tossed rock hitting someone below. Whenever you knock a rock off a climb, warn others below you, even if you can’t see them by yelling “ROCK!”.
Make a Rule: Never Climb Below Other Climbers
If you’re in the line of fire, it can be hard to avoid a falling rock, which is often bouncing and careening off cliff faces or boulders. Sometimes a falling rock hits a ledge and shatters into several pieces. While it is best to avoid putting yourself in the line of fire by making it a hard and fast rule that you will never climb below another party, sometimes it just happens.
Loose Rock is Everywhere
Now reverse the situation. Say that you’re climbing Independence Monument, a 450-foot-high sandstone tower in Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction. You hiked up Lower Monument Canyon Trail and got an early start. But as you start up the second pitch, an off-width crack that leads to a ledge filled with broken boulders that range in size from your fist to a basketball, you notice another party gearing up at the base of the climb.
Your Rope Pulls a Rock Off
You may want to yell down: "Hey, could you guys wait until we get done with this pitch? It’s kind of loose up here!" If they are smart, they will pay attention to your call and wait. But if they are in a hurry, they may start up the first pitch. After reaching the belay ledge, you begin pulling up the rope. As you pull, the rope dislodges a perched soccer ball-sized boulder sitting on the cliff edge as well as a handful of smaller cobbles.
Yell “ROCK!” If You Knock One Off
Now you scream down to your partner and the party far below: “ROCK!! ROCK!!” This alerts the climbers below to take cover, to scurry under a nearby overhang or to take precautions to avoid getting hit by the falling rocks. You always want to yell “ROCK!” when any sized rock is knocked off because sometimes that small piece will dislodge others, creating an avalanche of rockfall.
Wait Until Climbers Below are Safe
If other climbers are below you, be smart and assess the situation. If you’re scrambling on easy terrain with lots of loose blocks and shattered boulders around you, perhaps you might want to sit down and wait until the party below you is out of the line of fire. It’s not only being courteous but might also save a life.
Even a Small Rock Can Kill
Don’t be in such a big hurry to reach the summit of a peak that you are willing to put others at risk of injury or death from a rockfall that you started. Remember that even a small piece of rock can kill someone if it hits them in the head. That's another reason why you should always wear a helmet when you are climbing and mountaineering.
Don't Make Rockfall Part of the Game
Also remember that while rockfall happens, it should not be part of the climbing game. Some beginning climbers think that anyone climbing below them should bear the risk of their own clumsy actions on a cliff. I was once climbing on Wind Tower in Eldorado Canyon, a popular climbing area. A novice was climbing on a different route above me and knocked some rocks off but failed to warn the climbers on the slab below him, including me. When I reached the top of the tower, the offending climber was up there. Both my partner and I chewed him out for not only knocking rocks off on a busy weekend day but also for failing to warn others by yelling "ROCK!". His reply was simply, "Well, if you can't accept the risks of climbing, then you shouldn't be up here." Not.
