Climbers trapped on steep rock wall in Colorado for 11 hours in the dark, rescuers say
Two young climbers realized too late they were trapped on a steep rock wall as sunlight vanished in the Colorado canyon, rescuers said.
The climbers set out to ascend the iconic Redgarden Wall in Eldorado Canyon State Park about 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9, and didn’t expect to be out there too long — considering they didn’t bring headlamps, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The climbers, a 20-year-old and a 22-year-old from Boulder, underestimated how long the climb would take, officials said. By the time they realized they wouldn’t be able to make it safely up or back down the wall, it was already getting dark, officials said.
So the two men called for help just before 8 p.m., officials said. Using spotlights, rescue crews found them clinging to the rock face on the top pitch of the T-2 climb on the rock wall.
Rescuers rappelled down to them and then helped them reach the top of the climb, officials said. Then using several rappels, rescuers helped them down the east slabs.
The rescue took about 11 hours, officials said. Both climbers walked out to the trailhead one after the other, with the second one reaching the parking lot at 6:45 a.m. Sunday, March 10.
Neither needed medical attention, officials said.
This story was originally published March 12, 2024 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Climbers trapped on steep rock wall in Colorado for 11 hours in the dark, rescuers say."
