Two climbers who became stuck while attempting a multi-pitch route on Mt. Whitney waited over 18 hours for mountain rescue, with one dangling on-rope the entire time
According to a Facebook post by Inyo County Search and Rescue, the party of two set out from the Whitney Portal to tackle the 11-pitch, 5.7-grade route of the Mt. Whitney East Buttress just after midnight on September 21. They reached the base of the climb at approximately 10 a.m. but had only completed three pitches five hours later.
Due to diminishing daylight and snow and ice on the route, the climbers reportedly "decided they were beyond their ability" and attempted to bail off the route into a neighboring couloir. However, they were unable to complete the bailout and contacted mountain rescue for assistance.
Despite attempts by Inyo SAR to coach the climbers to self-rescue, the pair were "not comfortable executing any of the methods discussed" and, with nightfall fast approaching, had to weather in place overnight with one climber spending the entire night on the end rope just 100 ft from their partner.
"One member of the party had done an initial rappel but was unable to re-ascend the rope back to the original anchor."
The following morning, search and rescue teams entered the area via helicopter and climbed up to the duo to rescue them. The climbers were able to hike to safety, leaving gear behind in the wall, but the rescue crews note they were "beyond their skill level" and caution all rock climbers to be prepared and consider climbing with a guide to learn the required skills for alpine climbing.
"Alpine rock climbing is a serious endeavor that requires many different skills to do safely. Those skills include the abilities to conduct accurate self-assessment of your skill versus your objective, to understand weather conditions and their effect on route conditions, and to perform self-rescue techniques in stressful situations."
"This mission was the result of a series of bad decisions (until the good decision to call for help) that were entirely avoidable if proper preparation had been done."
How to stay safe when rock climbing
Just because rock climbing carries some inherent dangers doesn't mean you don't have a say in how safe you are. The following are some important steps you should take for staying safe when rock climbing:
- Take climbing skills classes with a trained professional.
- Wear a helmet, even when on the ground.
- Take good care of your ropes by cleaning them and inspecting your ropes and other gear regularly .
- Wear well-fitting climbing shoes and harness.
- Climb with people you trust and communicate properly on belay .
- Check the weather before you go.
- Have winter gear for winter conditions, such as an ice axe and crampons, and know how to use them.
Learn more in our article on the risks of rock climbing.
