Climber rescued after fall in Little Dominguez Canyon

Mesa County Search and Rescue
carries injured climber 

Climber rescued from fall

MESA COUNTY, Colo -  At approximately 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Grand Junction Regional Communications Center was notified by Delta County’s Communications Center a climber was in need of help. It had received a 911 text message about a climber who had fallen in the Little Dominguez Canyon area.

The adult male fell about 30-40 feet while repelling down a 200-foot cliff in the area of Rose Creek.

The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and Mesa County Search and Rescue immediately responded to the area. The two people with the injured climber helped alert Centurylink’s helicopter to their remote location. 

Helicopter helps in rescue effort

Because the area was difficult to access, the helicopter transported search and rescue volunteers and deputies into the bottom of the canyon. Rescue crews then had to hike about a mile in steep terrain to reach the climber. The climber was carried to CareFlight waiting nearby. He was airlifted to St. Mary’s Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

A second CareFlight helicopter transported rescue crews back out of the area. In total, the technical rescue took about 9 hours.

Do you have a COSAR card?

Search and Rescue is a free service in Mesa County. If you plan on recreating outdoors, you are encouraged to get a Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue (CORSAR) card. If you ever need search and rescue services it helps reimburse the cost to our local volunteer teams.  Learn more at https://cdola.colorado.gov/funding-programs/search-and-rescue-fund.

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