A climber was rescued in a seven-hour operation after falling between 40 and 50 feet in Pine Creek Canyon, Nevada, on Saturday. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Search and Rescue team responded to the incident around midday after the climber sustained severe head and back injuries while attempting a route known as 'Dream Safari' on Dark Shadows Wall.
The climber's partner and a climbing guide from another group reached him first and managed to stem blood loss before rescue teams arrived. The climber had completed the first pitch of the 800-foot route and was ascending the second when he fell, landing approximately 600 feet above the ground. The cause of the fall remains unclear.
Due to the location on the wall, rescuers were flown in by helicopter and rappelled hundreds of feet to reach the climber. After administering medical care, they secured him to a titanium litter and lowered him to the ground, with a rescuer accompanying him throughout the descent. Volunteers then carried the stretcher across difficult desert terrain to a safe extraction point.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police confirmed that the climber's helmet was destroyed in the fall but likely saved his life. They reported that the victim is recovering and in good spirits.
