Date of Event: 12/30/2021
Canyon Involved: Sierra Canyon
Region: Arizona
Country: United States
Submitted by: Nicholas Clegg, updated 1-5-2022
Source: First / Second Hand Account
Injury: Fatality
Cause: Fall or slip, Anchor Failure, Weather
Description of Event: On December 30th, 2021, three canyoneers entered the rugged Superstition Wilderness of Arizona to complete a descent of Sierra Canyon – a fairly popular and well-trafficked route, for the area. The canyon is classified as 3B III, with a few deep pools but no particularly hazardous or challenging obstacles. The Superstition Mountains have an incredibly diverse geological composition, but the Horse Mesa area that includes Sierra Canyon consists largely of volcanic rock overlain with sedimentary and conglomerate.
Each member of the group had at least a few years of experience canyoneering. Brandon had the most at about five. All had either taken formal training courses or learned in the field with experienced friends who worked as canyon guides. The three were proficient in natural anchor building, as a team had completed over 30 canyons, and individually over 100 canyons.
First-hand account per JJ Taylor: While running Sierra Canyon, Brandon Levander lost his life in a rappelling accident. We approached R2 and decided to try and avoid the pool at the the base of the rappel by traversing LDC and setting another anchor outside of the watercourse. We identified a rock arch greater than 6” in diameter that we then slung with webbing, tested, and determined to be sufficient. Bob Conklin had set the anchor with a single wrap of webbing tied with a water knot and complete with a quicklink. Bob rigged a biner block and went down first. I went second. Brandon then removed the biner and rappelled double-stand. Despite having confidence in the anchor, all three of us performed a soft start out of precaution to reduce the force applied on the arch. When Brandon passed over the lip, the rock arch blew. He flipped backwards falling head-first approximately 25 ft to the canyon floor. The webbing and quicklink, still intact, came down with him along with rock debris. Brandon sustained a skull fracture from the fall and we requested evacuation using his Garmin InReach satellite device. It took approximately two hours for the helicopter to reach our position. At the hospital, Brandon underwent brain surgery but was unfortunately unable to recover from his injuries.
Analysis: Developing a strong understanding of the specific rock type and quality of a given canyon or area can be an effective means of mitigating some of the risk associated with natural anchor selection and evaluation. There may exist a high degree of variation in quality and characteristics between rock inside vs outside of the watercourse. Even to experienced canyoneers, these differences may not be immediately apparent without some knowledge of the local geology and the ability to discern between various types of rock that may be encountered in certain geologically diverse environments.
Sometimes, canyoneers attempt to bypass water obstacles in an effort to stay dry. One should always consider the risk associated with hiking, downclimbing, or rappelling outside of the watercourse / established route, and weigh these risks against the benefits of staying dry. Additionally, recent weather can compromise the structural integrity of rock features, particularly those located outside of the drainage which are less likely to have been repeatedly scoured, in some capacity, by running water.
Though no substitute for proper anchor selection, deploying certain techniques and precautions such as soft starts, sending the heaviest team member(s) down first with a meat anchor backup, and applying a test load to the anchor in the direction of rappel may be warranted if an anchor is seemingly marginal or questionable.
Slight modifications to a marginal anchor can make all the difference. Use caution when converting rigging, shifting placement of webbing on a feature, or changing direction of the force vector even by only a few degrees. A wrap-2-pull-1 may be a useful method for locking webbing into a specific position on a natural feature such as an arch. If the arch is situated vertically, the base of the feature is likely the strongest and therefore most optimal location to position webbing.
Keep in mind that even short falls can have devastating consequences and the risks associated with navigating such obstacles should not be underestimated.
Lastly, carrying a satellite device when entering areas where cell service is unreliable is wise and could save your life or the life of a team member.