The man was canyoneering with his wife in Buckeyes Canyon, Utah, when he and his dog fell
A man who was rappelling off a cliff inside aUtah canyonwas injured in a terrifying fall when his anchor system failed. When rescuers reached the victim, they discovered he was accompanied by an unusual climbing buddy—his pet poodle strapped to his chest.
Remarkably, both the man and his furry friend survived the plunge.
Ben Dixon, 33, toldOutsidethat he was canyoneering with his wife in Buckeyes Canyon, a rugged, remote slot canyon located deep in the state’s San Rafael Swell, when he and his dog fell. The accident occurred on Saturday, May 9, around 2:30 P.M., the rescue agency Emery County Sheriff’s Office (ECSO) wrote in anincident report.
“I think we’re up to eight fractures now,” Dixon said. “I have six weeks until I can use my right hand, and 12 until I can get out of the wheelchair. But I’m alive.”
Cat, the poodle strapped to Dixon’s chest, also escaped largely unharmed.
“Buckeyes is a very technical, advanced canyon, primarily due to the lack of anchor placements,” veteran local guide Christopher Hagedorn toldOutside. Hagedorn is the owner ofGet in the Wild, a canyoneering guiding company based in nearby Hanksville, Utah. “Often you’re able to use natural materials to build anchors, like rock cairns, trees, or bushes, but not in Buckeyes.”
Dixon’s wife first rappelled down the cliff, which was between 20 and 30 feet high, and then waited for her husband and their dog to follow.
“As the patient began rappelling over the edge, the bag anchor system reportedly failed, causing him to fall backward over the cliff and land at the bottom near his wife,” the ECSO wrote.
Dixon said he was wearing a helmet and a large backpack, which seemed to protect him from the brunt of the fall, but he did suffer serious injuries to his wrist and ankle. When he spoke withOutsideon May 13, four days after his accident, he reported that he’d already undergone two surgeries, with a third to go.
“The dog sustained minor injuries to one of its legs, but appears to be doing well,” reported the ECSO.
After the fall, Dixon and his wife called to alert another two canyoneers descending the canyon ahead of them. The group provided first aid for the injured man and his poodle while waiting for first responders. A helicopter from Utah’s Department of Public Safety eventually evacuated him.
“I’m enormously grateful to all the people who went out of their way to pull me out of a bad situation I created for myself,” he told Outside. “Everyone has been so kind.”
The Potential Dangers of Marginal Anchors
Hagedorn said that the man used a so-called “sandtrap” or “potshot” anchor. These consist of a weighted tarp or bag, usually filled with sand or rocks, that can be pulled from below to release the weight, allowing the canyoneer to pull the empty tarp or bag down as they rappel. These anchors rely entirely on weight, friction, and exact placement to hold a climber, leaving scant room for error. Hagedorn said building an anchor like this requires precise, advanced technique.
“We refer to these as ‘marginal anchors,’” he explained. “You have to back them up with some type of redundant system.” It could be that the anchor didn’t have enough weight or sufficient friction, but authorities have not released the exact cause of failure.
Dixon added that he hadn’t added enough sand to his anchor, noting that the failure was due to user error.
“Abstractly, what happened is I allowed myself to believe I could outsmart a lack of deep experience with an anchor technique that I was clearly and frequently warned is not to be trifled with,” he said. “I feel very lucky indeed that nobody else paid a hard price for my hubris.”
In April,Outsidereported on arash of rescuesin the Utah desert. Hagedorn says this hasn’t let up.
“It’s been an incredibly busy season out here,” he said. “Search and rescue teams have a lot of work on their hands.”
