Date of Event: 4/15/2022
Canyon Involved: Canyoneering practice on a cliff
Region: Mesa County, Colorado
Country: USA
Submitted by: Ryan Grube
Source: Ryan Grube
Injury: Fatality
Cause: Rappel error
Ryan Grube was part of the SAR recovery team. This is his understanding of the circumstances of the incident.
Description of Event: This was a group that was practicing rappelling in preparation for canyoneering. A carabiner block was being used and the subject set up his rappel on the wrong side of the block. The unfortunate result was a fatal 30-foot fall. The subject and the group were new to canyoneering. Group members stated it was the final rappel of the day.
Analysis: the cause was lack of load testing the rappel set-up prior to committing. Contributing factors are: the low experience of the group, final rappel of the day, and possibly weather.