Trivia: John Lithgow considers Eric Qualen to be the corniest villain he's ever played, but also feels that the character has survived the test of time. He also considers this film to have his best death scene.
Trivia: The stunt early on in the film where Eric Qualen and his team do the plane to plane transfer was performed by British stuntman Simon Crane. The stunt was performed at an altitude of 2.95 miles (4.75 km) and was the most expensive stunt ever performed costing £568,000(£1 million). Sly Stallone is said to have reduced his fee by that amount to ensure the stunt was made.
Trivia: In an interview with GQ, John Lithgow revealed that he was originally supposed to be the film's secondary villain, with Christopher Walken playing the main antagonist. However, Walken exited the project, leading to Lithgow being promoted to main antagonist.
Answer: There was no realistic reason. First, the steel buckle on the safety harness would never just bend and break like that. The accident was not Gabe's fault, but Hal is supposedly so angry and grief-stricken that he unfairly claims Gabe ignored his advice when rescuing her. The movie uses melodramatic plotting to contrive a conflict between the two men. It's also unrealistic that Sarah, an inexperienced climber, was able to make such a difficult climb, even with Hal's help. The movie had many plot holes.
raywest ★