Yosemite Search and Rescue saved a climber who had fallen off El Capitan, a 3,000-foot vertical rock formation known for its sheer face and challenging climbing routes. Rescuers deployed a specialized technique to save the injured climber on October 20.
Neither the climber’s name nor their condition has been released.
Responders used what’s known as the toss-across rescue technique, a precision, high-angle rescue maneuver designed by Yosemite rescue personnel in the early 2000s, specifically to help climbers stranded on rock faces.
A video posted by the rescue team shows a California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter used to insert a National Park Service rescuer on El Capitan.
CHP flight officer and responding paramedic Noe Gonzales told SFGate that the technique is specific to Yosemite, and it’s unknown if it’s conducted anywhere else.
This is how it works: A helicopter is used to insert a rescue ranger on the cliff face above the stranded climber. A weighted beanbag, which helps in high-wind situations, is then attached to a line that’s tossed to the injured climber. The climber can use this line as a lead that can attach to and pull a stronger rope to them that can then be connected to their rescue equipment.
High winds initially delayed the operation, requiring the helicopter to make multiple trips to the wall until it was deemed safe to continue.
“Ranger McGahey provided emergency medical care and coordinated the helicopter evacuation from the wall. Thanks to the team’s swift response and expertise in high-angle rescue, the injured climber received urgent surgical care and is now recovering well,” wrote the rescue team on Facebook.“Yosemite Search and Rescue’s skill and innovation in mountain rescue save lives every year.”
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