A man in his early 20s struck by a falling rock “the size of a toaster” was taken to hospital with serious, but non-life threatening head injuries after preparing to rock climb near Canmore.
A man in his early 20s struck by a falling rock “the size of a toaster” was taken to hospital with serious, but non-life threatening head injuries after preparing to rock climb near Canmore. A woman, also in her 20s, suffered head injuries by falling rocks as she assisted the man.
The man suffered a compressed skull fracture, says Jeremy Mackenzie, Kananaskis public safety specialist, while the woman endured a head wound and was given stitches.
The first-time male climber was standing at the base of a popular cliff known as the Golf Course Wall at Grassi Lakes when the falling rock hit the top of his head after 12:30 p.m. on Saturday (Aug. 1).
He was in a group of climbers gearing up for the climb, but they hadn’ t put on their rock climbing helmets at the time.
“Anytime in a rock climbing situation you definitely want to have your helmet on as soon as possible, making sure that you’ re aware of the hazard above you,” Mackenzie said.
The man was knocked unconscious briefly and was in stable condition while being transported by ground ambulance to Canmore Hospital, where he spent the night.
Mackenzie says it’ s not certain what caused the rock fall.
“Any of the climbing areas have potential for it, it’ s all part of rock climbing. You have to be aware of potential rock fall hazards,” Mackenzie said, adding there are potential rock fall hazards for climbers and hikers at Grassi Lakes.
