Epic Rescue Leads to Fundraiser for Rescuers
A serious accident in 2023 resulted in an impressive rescue by the search and rescue technicians at the Black Canyon of Gunnison

Last September, Becca Steinbrecher from Colorado was climbing The Great White Wall, a 400-metre 5.10d in the Black Canyon of Gunnison, when a foothold broke and she fell to a ledge. She sustained broken bones, a punctured lung, and a severe head injury which left her unconscious. Her partner, Skyeler Congdon, rappelled down to get help.
“The Black Canyon Search and Rescue (SAR) team and the Western Colorado University SAR team joined to respond,” the National Park Service said in a statement. “The SAR teams descended the arduous one-mile (1.6 km) Long Draw hiking route dropping 1,800 feet (548 m) into the canyon. The team then rock climbed 300 feet (91 m) up to the unconscious patient’s location and lowered them to the canyon bottom. A Colorado Army National Guard helicopter flew the patient out from the bottom of the canyon at approximately 7:25 pm. The patient was transferred to a medical air ambulance in Montrose, Colorado and flown to Saint Mary’s hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado to address major trauma injuries.”
Skyeler Congdon has shared the news that to thank the rescuers who saved Steinbrecher, they’re throwing a fundraiser. In a post on Mountain Project, he said, “Really excited to post this!! We’re throwing a rad little fundraiser for the Black Canyon SAR team!!! A lot of you know that they REALLY saved us last September , so I’m psyched to return the favor.”
The fundraiser will be on May 22 at GearHead Outfitters in Grand Junction. “The SAR team is BADASS and they routinely get personal gear destroyed/worked during rescues, or donate gear for emergency anchors they never see again,” said Congdon. “They also pay for trainings themselves. So it would be cool to help them out since they’re responding to crazy shit all season long.”