Climber died when knot in rope came undone

Keith Paul

Wednesday, June 19, 2002 | 10:28 a.m.

Veteran climber Randal Grandstaff fell to his death earlier this month at Red Rock National Conservation Area when a knot in a rope came undone, a Metro Police investigation concluded.

Grandstaff, 44, had lowered a tourist he was climbing with off the rock face and was starting to rappel when he fell about 150 feet to his death June 5.

"He was six or seven feet into his rappel when the knot came untied," Sgt. Clint Bassett of Metro's search and rescue unit said Tuesday. "The knot was either not tied correctly or had a release hitch and there wasn't enough slack and it came untied."

Bassett said Grandstaff's death was ruled an accident. The Clark County Coroner's Office also ruled the death an accident and said his death was caused by blunt force trauma injuries.

Bassett said they checked over the equipment and found it all to be in good condition and the anchor in the rock face in place.

"All the equipment was hooked up. Everything looked the way it should, then we looked at the rope and it had bends in it where it was tied, but the knot had come undone," Bassett said.