Climber hangs upside down for four hours

by Bill Boyle
San Juan Record Editor
A man from Colorado was rescued after hanging upside down by his right foot for more than four hours on October 27 on the south face of North Six Shooter Peak.
A complicated search and rescue effort, involving a tremendous amount of equipment, training, technology, communication, cooperation and sheer bravery, was required to pull off the rescue.
Incredibly, the young climber suffered little more than abrasions, soreness and a massive headache after his four hour ordeal.
After an emergency call was received on Sunday, the local Sheriffs office, Search and Rescue (SAR) Ropes Team, Emergency Medical Services, Utah Highway Patrol, Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter and Classic Air responded to the scene.
The climber had hung upside down for nearly an hour before the crews began to arrive.
Three members of the ropes team were dropped off by helicopter on the top of Six Shooter Peak and initiated the process of anchoring ropes and preparing hoists to rescue the climber.
Approaching the climber from atop the 6,347-foot sandstone tower was necessary because of challenges presented by the steep talus slope at the base of the towering butte.
A complicated rope system was used to lift the climber and eventually free his stuck right foot. The climber was then lowered to the ground by hoist from the DPS helicopter.
After he was lowered to the ground, the climber was stabilized by EMS personnel and transported by Classic Air helicopter to St Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, CO. He is expected to make a complete recovery.
Sheriff’s Deputy Avery Olsen, the Uniformed Commander of the SAR, said a great deal of communication and cooperation with other agencies was needed to make the effort succeed.
A search and rescue effort such as this can be remarkably expensive, particularly when it involves helicopters, transport crews, advanced technology, multiple agencies, and technical training.
Remarkably, the Search and Rescue crews are all volunteers, with minimal reimbursement for their service.
Fritz Pipkin, the North Civilian Commander for San Juan County Search and Rescue, explains that the search and rescue work is incredibly rewarding.
He says that the work is demanding, time consuming and occasionally traumatic as they respond to emergency situations across the county.
There are also growing demands on volunteer time to complete a number of training and certification requirements.
Pipkin added that the effort can also have an impact on a volunteer’s business, health and family life.
Fritz has nearly 20 years of emergency response effort with fire department and Search and Rescue.
A local Jeep Posse in the 1950s and 60s grew into the Search and Rescue that we know today. Fritz adds that his grandfather – James E Pipkin – was a member of the Posse and he feels a connection with him as a result.
Of course, demands have grown exponentially as visitation has increased to the area. Now the volunteer crews can be called out dozens of times a year.
In fact, SAR crews in Grand County responded to six calls over the same weekend.