Volunteers rescue man stuck on 10,000ft-high ledge in Sierra Nevada
Climber, stuck on 6in ridge, had veered off treacherous path and ‘any fall would almost certainly be fatal’
TL;DR
- A climber became stranded on a 6-inch ledge over 10,000 feet high in California's Sierra Nevada.
- The incident occurred on the Mendenhall couloir of Laurel mountain after the climber accidentally veered off the marked path.
- Mono county search and rescue described the off-route terrain as increasingly vertical and un-protectable, with fatal consequences for any fall.
- Rescue efforts were complicated by strong winds, making a hoist operation impossible.
- A volunteer team traversed the dangerous terrain on foot at night, using headlamps.
- Rescuers reached the climber and secured him with a rope system to prevent a fall.
- The operation was successful, with the climber being rescued in the early hours of Sunday morning.