# 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.
- Title: Two drones pulled a climber off the Chief · Gripped Magazine
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: rescue, drones, climbing, squamish, search and rescue, Two, pulled, climber, Chief, Gripped Magazine
- Source: Gripped Magazine — https://gripped.com/news/drones-help-rescue-solo-rock-climber-250-feet-up-wall
- Author: gripped
- Published: 2026-09-11T16:29:10+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: rescue, drones, climbing, squamish, search and rescue
## 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
## Key takeaway

A drone program that already exists, with trained pilots, turns an impossible night rescue into a routine one.