From Gripped Magazine · gripped · · 1m 30s
Two drones pulled a climber off the Chief
A climber was stuck 250 feet up with no rope, in the dark. Two drones got him down.
In brief
A climber was stuck 250 feet up with no rope, in the dark. Two drones got him down. A drone program that already exists, with trained pilots, turns an impossible night rescue into a routine one. Originally reported by Gripped Magazine.
Stranded with no rope
A climber was stuck 77 metres up the Stawamus Chief in Squamish, B.C., clipped to an anchor on Alaska Highway, a five-pitch 5.11d. He had an anchor. He had no rope.
“The unidentified climber was secured to an anchor but didn't have a rope.”
Why ropes were the wrong call
Darkness, the sheer size of the wall and heavy rockfall exposure made a standard rope rescue a serious risk to the rescuers themselves.
“significant rockfall exposure”
One drone lit, one flew
Squamish Search and Rescue sent up two aircraft. The first held a floodlight on the rock face so the second could navigate to the climber in the dark.
A thin line first
The second drone delivered a lightweight messenger line. That line hauled up a real climbing rope, which the climber clipped in to and used to rappel to the ground.
They flew him a jacket
Rescuers also sent a jacket up by drone to keep him warm while the rest of the rescue played out. Small detail, hours of exposure avoided.
Not a one-off anymore
A drone found mountaineer Rick Allen at 7,600 metres on Broad Peak in 2018. In December 2024, one helped locate three lost skiers near Sun Peaks by 4:30 a.m.
“the right tools, used in the right circumstances, can help reduce risk for both rescuers and those we're called to help”
The takeaway
A drone program that already exists, with trained pilots, turns an impossible night rescue into a routine one.
