Rescuers embark on daring seven hour mission after climber falls more than 40 feet in Vegas canyon

A Las Vegas search and rescue team has conducted a daring rescue after a climber fell between 40 and 50 feet from a canyon wall, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.

Around 12 p.m. on Saturday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Search and Rescue was notified that a climber had been injured while attempting “Dream Safari,” a traditional multi-pitch route on Dark Shadows Wall in Pine Creek Canyon.

Police said the fall caused severe head and back injuries. The climber’s partner, along with a climbing guide from another group, managed to reach him and mitigate blood loss while waiting for the rescue team.

“Dream Safari” is an extension of two other routes, “Risky Business” and “Excellent Adventure,” which together account for 800 feet of wall.

The climber had cleared the first pitch of Dream Safari and was making his way up the second when he fell. The SAR team found the climber approximately 600 feet above the ground.

Police said it was unclear what caused the fall or what the climber hit during his descent.

Because the rescue had to be conducted on the wall rather than on the ground at the foot of the climb, it required complex climbing to reach and remove the climber.

SAR members and a Lead Climb volunteer were flown in by helicopter and rappelled hundreds of feet from their landing point down to the climber.

Once SAR team members reached the climber, rescue crews administered medical care while securing him to a titanium litter, or stretcher. Crews then built a means of lowering the litter.

The injured climber was lowered hundreds of feet to the ground once he was secured. A rescuer stayed with the climber during the entirety of the descent.

After reaching the base of the wall, Lead Climb and Mountain Rescue volunteers carried the litter with the injured climber across the surrounding difficult desert terrain to a point where he could be safely transported for medical care.

According to the LVMP, the entire operation took approximately seven hours from the time of the initial call to the final extraction of rescue personnel.

The LVMP noted that the climber was recovering well.

“Although the victim’s helmet was destroyed during the fall, it likely saved their life. We continue to check in with the victim and he’s continuing to recover and in good spirits,” the LVMP said.