CALIFORNIA – Two climbers spent the night on the side of Mount Whitney after a failed attempt of the mountain’s East Buttress route (IV, 5.7, 1000’, 11 pitches) left them stranded for 18+ hours. One of the individuals had rappelled 100 feet away from their partner and, being unable to re-ascend back to the original anchor, was forced to spend the night at the end of the rope.
The duo had set out from the Whitney Portal at ~1:30am on September 21, reaching the base of the East Buttress route at around 10:00am. After 5 hours, having only reached the top of Pitch 3 and fearing snow/ice and the limited remaining daylight, the duo attempted to bail off the route into the neighboring Mountaineer’s Route couloir. Unable to complete the bail, the group called 911.
Shortly after, Inyo County Search & Rescue called the climbers and spoke with them for over an hour, attempting to coach self-rescue and get a complete picture of the situation. The two were not comfortable executing any of the self-rescue methods and, due to lack of time prior to sunset, weathered in location overnight waiting for a rescue.
Early in the morning of September 22, an Inyo SAR team was inserted via helicopter, climbed to the party in the same snowy/ice conditions, and rescued the two climbers. All were able to walk out under their own power, though some gear was left behind as the rescue necessitated (that gear was then retrieved on September 25.
“Alpine rock climbing is a serious endeavor that requires many different skills to do safely. Those skills include the abilities to conduct accurate self-assessment of your skill versus your objective, to understand weather conditions and their effect on route conditions, and to perform self-rescue techniques in stressful situations.” – Inyo County Search and Rescue
Inyo County Search & Rescue notes that this party was beyond their skill levels in both climbing and general alpine movement. They encourage those who want to enjoy the Sierra but might not have the experience to do so to hire a guide to learn necessary skills first hand.
“This mission was the result of a series of bad decisions (until the good decision to call for help) that were entirely avoidable if proper preparation had been done. We want everyone to enjoy the Sierra, but everyone has a different path to doing so.” – Inyo County Search and Rescue
