A mountain climber in Colorado was recently rescued after running into winter weather-related issues on a difficult route on what’s perhaps the state’s most notorious 14,000-foot peak.

According to a report from Mountain Rescue Aspen, their team received an SOS signal from an Apple device at about 12:30 a.m. on March 18. The call for help was from a lone climber who had become stranded on 14,138-foot Capitol Peak’s Northwest Buttress Route. Mountain Project describes this route as an alpine trad climb rated 5.9 in terms of rock climbing difficulty: “a fantastic journey up a crack system that turns into a steep arete going up the north face of Capitol Peak.” Per search and rescue, this was the climber’s intended route.

According to the climber, cold weather-related injuries sustained by the hands and feet had rendered the climber immobilized on the dangerous route. Rescue teams kept in contact with the climber and while the climber was initially advised to stay put until sunrise, the climber contacted the team later on and was feeling up to start moving prior to rescue team arrival. The flash of hope didn’t last long, with the climber soon immobilized once again, informing the team that assistance would still be required.

By 5:15 a.m., a Careflight of the Rockies helicopter launched out of Montrose and flew over the scene to assess the situation. Meanwhile, the Colorado National Guard was put on standby to jump in if a hoist ended up being required.

Thankfully, the climber was able to make it down from the rugged Northwest Buttress route, reaching Capitol Pass without outside help. This allowed Careflight to pick the climber up from that point, with the climber then transported to Aspen Valley Health by 6:45 a.m.

“The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the dedicated, all-volunteer team at Mountain Rescue Aspen,” read a statement following the late-night response. “Mountain Rescue Aspen and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office remind backcountry users to always have a backcountry partner, carry a personal satellite device, know the route and your abilities, pre-plan your trips while avoiding late starts, and set turn-around times. It is important to always have the right clothing and gear for the projected weather conditions, and be prepared to spend an unplanned night in the mountains if the situation warrants it.”

Find more information about Mountain Rescue Aspen or support the team here.

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