90 Foot Fall Kills Climber

Today's article addresses a somber topic that happened this past weekend within the climbing community. While I hesitated to discuss this, I believe it's essential to confront the realities of climbing. The tragic loss of a young climber resonates with all of us. It is my hope that by sharing this knowledge, similar tragedies can be avoided in the future.

Faye Zhang, a 18 year old freshman at the University of Georgia, fell to her death this past Saturday at "Misty," a popular climbing route at Cherokee Rock Village in Alabama. Prior to this, Faye had experience only in indoor climbing gyms. This was her second route outdoors, and she wanted to try cleaning. During this process she accidentally unclipped herself and fell 90ft to her death.

Mussy hooks were the anchors at the top of this climb are a type of permanent anchor commonly found at climbing locations. They are designed for easy and quick clipping, often used at the top of sport climbing routes for lowering or rappelling. Made of sturdy stainless steel, mussy hooks provide a safer alternative to wear-prone traditional anchors, but climbers should always inspect them for signs of wear or damage before use.

In sport climbing, routes are pre-equipped with fixed bolts. Climbers use quickdraws to clip into these bolts as they progress up a route. This adds protection in the event of a fall. When descending , climbers must remove these quickdraws—a process known as "cleaning. Typically, the climber will climb to the top and clip the anchors. Once clipped into the anchors they’re now on top rope and can be lowered. As they’re being lowered, the climber will remove the quickdraws.

When teaching someone to clean it’s always a good idea to do so first in a location that can be monitored. Instructions can be interpreted a multitude of ways, so visually seeing what the student is doing is always recommended.
This is a great video summary of a hypotheses of what might have happened during the incident - fast forward to around 2:30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N_N4g2oK1E