sharp end

The Sharp End

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. 

Ep 8 - Falling Way Too Far - Alina and Ben

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.

Ep 9 - Ego Dangers - Felipe Proaño

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, and the two discuss what went wrong and how similar accidents might be prevented. You can read Jesse's full report from Accidents in North American Climbing here: http://bit.ly/2gbz1Ba.

Thanks to David Iliff (License: CC-BY-SA 3.0) for the beautiful photo of Half Dome's southwest face, where Snake Dike is found.

Ep 11 - A Snake Dike Tragedy - Jesse McGahey

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.

Ep 12 - Shock in Joshua Tree - David

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.

Ep 13 - Two Screws, Two Ankles - Raf Andronowski

Ashley speaks with fellow Outward Bound instructors Matt Olsen and Ty Guarino, who survived a serious rappelling and rockfall accident during an attempt on the famous Grand Traverse of the Tetons. Hear about their impressive self-rescue and the lessons they learned.

The Sharp End is produced each month by Accidents in North American Climbing, an annual publication of the American Alpine Club, and is presented by Mammut, with additional support from Vertical Medicine Resources and Colorado Outward Bound School.

Ep 19 - Grand Traverse Gone Bad - Matt Olsen and Ty Guarino

A podcast produced/hosted by Ashley Saupe, sponsored by Rocky Talkie and supported by the American Alpine Institute. This podcast aims to minimize future outdoor accidents by way of story telling. Real people sharing real stories. 
"Play Hard and Be Smart"
www.thesharpendpodcast.com