Bouldering Fall | Insufficient Pads
California, Joshua Tree National Park, Hidden Valley Area

On November 9, 2023, Gibson McGee (19) was bouldering alone on White Rastafarian, a V2 highball that has been the scene of many accidents. He fell from near the top and struck the ground, shattering his L1 vertebra (the highest bone in the lower back).

Though Mountain Project describes White Rastafarian as, “One of JTree's finest (problems),” the climb is 25 feet tall more a short route instead of a boulder problem. After the midpoint crux, the climber is faced with a tricky mantel topout.

Read the report and analysis in this month’s Prescription.

Read The Prescription

McGee wrote ANAC, “I was heading to Joshua Tree for the weekend and I was planning on meeting a group who were coming in the following morning. After setting up camp I went to go climb the nearby White Rastafarian. I had previously attempted it but fell at the crux (15 feet off ground). I was fine with no injuries.” McGee laid out three crash pads, set up a video camera to record himself, and started up the route. The fall video is linked in the article.

Read the full analysis here.

More on Michael Spitz Free Solo Accident

In the 2023 ANAC, we reported on the death of free soloist Michael Spitz. Recently, Brian Gillette, a close friend of Spitz, reached out to correct some inaccuracies in our reporting. In his letter to ANAC, Gillette filled some gaps in our understanding of the accident, while offering some thoughtful words on risk.

A short excerpt, “In the year before his death, Mike's free soloing had accelerated from an occasional outing to a nearly weekly activity. The more he free-soloed, the more I watched his perception of the risks become disconnected from the reality of climbing. Mike had also been surfing a heavy swell in the days leading up to his death. When I spoke with him the night before, I thought he sounded tired and told him to take it easy. He told me he planned to climb for the day and head home. From what I can tell, soloing Illusion Dweller was a last-minute decision. He might have been more tired than he realized. It might explain why a small slip caused him to fall. Mike's last-minute decision also meant that he wasn't prepared in any way for a potential accident, even a minor one.”

Read the Letter