Rockfall is a serious hazard to rock climbing. On April 3rd and the 4th, a serious amount of rock fell at Yosemite’s Churchbowl climbing area. The granite fell from an area above Bishop’s Terrace and hit the second pitch of the climb, the short section that climbs to Bishop’s Balcony. The rappel for the route was also hit. A large amount of debris fell to the west of the base of Bishop’s Terrace.
Greg Stock, a Yosemite National Park geologist, commented about the hazard. “Although I’m not able to predict future behavior, I have seen cleaner source areas than this one. Future rockfalls are possible.”
