On Sunday at about 6:30 p.m., Alpine Rescue Team out of the Evergreen area was notified about two climbers who were reportedly stuck mid-wall following a rappelling incident that took place west of Tunnel 2 in Clear Creek Canyon. This prompted an emergency response with search and rescue personnel teaming up with Golden Fire to form a plan of attack.

Once in the field, five Alpine Rescue Team members crossed a tyrolean traverse to get to the other side of Clear Creek, which involves clipping onto a cable strung across the river and pulling oneself across. This allowed the team to scramble up the backside of the climb that the climbers were stuck on, which was followed by setting up a belay to get the top climber to safety at the top of the route. Two rescue personnel then rappelled down to the climber who was still stuck on the rappel, with all climbers safely evacuated off of the face and out of the field by 9:30 p.m.

The mission was described as complex, also involving the construction of a highline stretched across Clear Creek for the climber evacuation. Factors related to the complexity of the mission included complicated access, the multiple rescue disciplines that were utilized, the multiple subjects who needed rescue, difficult route finding, and eventual nightfall.

The Alpine Rescue Team thanked the many agencies involved in the mission, including Golden Fire Rescue, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Open Space, the Colorado Department of Transportation, Arvada Professional Fire Fighters Association, and Jeffcom 911.

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