An Amazing American Rock Climbing Rescue
A climber was badly injured in the Black Canyon of Gunnison, which led to a 13-hour effort to rescue them. The wild story was just released in a short film that you can watch below
In September 2023, 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.”
A new film has been released about the rescue by Rocky Talkie (learn more about using a radio while rock climbing here), with a description that reads, “When a climber sustained life threatening injuries on the Great White Wall, the Black Canyon SAR Team raced against time to save her life. Join us in thanking Search & Rescue volunteers for the critical role they play in keeping us safe in the backcountry. Please consider supporting your local SAR team and learn more about Rocky Talkie’s commitment to SAR teams at rockytalkie.com/pledge.”
Black Canyon Rescue
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