Home > News

Falling Rock Injures Climber on El Capitan

A dislodged block resulted in a serious hand injury, the climbers were able to rappel without a rescue

While Yosemite is known for its splitter cracks and popular big wall routes, it still has its share of loose rocks that can be found on well-trodden classics. Big wall climber and found of Gravity Lab Official, Brant Hysell, recently shared news of an accident that resulted in a wounded hand, a long rappel and stitches.

“While jugging, Rob [Abbott] went to use the wall to his advantage and pulled on a jug on a huge block- and all of a sudden the whole thing shifted,” said Hysell. “After it smashed his right hand, the block started tumbling towards the earth. We screamed ‘ROCK’ at the top of our lungs and are truly grateful that rob was able to avoid it hitting him directly and that there was nobody else on The Nose at that time.”

Read more about recent rockfalls on El Capitan here, including a big one in 2023. “We estimated it around 300-400lbs… Rob suffered a fully dislocated thumb that ripped through his palm. I taped him up the best I could, and we put the jugging gloves on him.” Hysell was back on El Capitan a few days later and completed a lap of Lurking Fear in a speedy five hours and 16 minutes.

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

Take Your Love of Climbing to New Heights with These Valentine’s Day Gifts

And show your favorite climbing partner how much they mean to you