San Miguel County Search and Rescue teams responded late Saturday night to extract two inexperienced hikers who became stranded on the technical Via Ferrata climbing route above Telluride, Colorado.
The call came in around 9:55pm on June 13th after the two women, one from Idaho and one from Utah, both in their early 20s, became cliffed out while attempting to descend the route. Responders initially attempted to guide the women down remotely, but those efforts failed.
A rescue team was deployed, made contact with the hikers, set up a short rappel, and escorted them back to the trail. The pair were transported to their vehicle without injury. The mission involved roughly six SAR personnel and lasted more than four hours.
The women told deputies they began the traverse around 6:30pm and had never attempted the Via Ferrata before. They were carrying minimal clothing and had no food or water.
The Via Ferrata sits at the east end of Telluride’s box canyon and is rated moderately difficult. It features significant cliff exposure, narrow ledges hundreds of feet above the valley floor, and iron rungs, cables, and handholds bolted into the rock face. Guides are recommended for anyone without prior experience on the route.
“These two hikers could have spent the night stranded on the cliffs, cold, frightened and at risk of injury or worse had it not been for our dedicated and highly skilled SAR team. People need to exercise better judgment and be appropriately experienced and prepared before attempting terrain this technical.” – San Miguel County Undersheriff Nick Xavier
