Banff rescuers mounted a dramatic cliffside rescue after a climber fell about 10 metres on a popular multi-pitch sport climb on Tunnel Mountain Sunday (July 21).
The man in his mid-20s, who was in a group of three male climbers from Red Deer area, was leading the third pitch of the 250-metre, seven-pitch classic Gooseberry route when he fell.
It is believed he suffered a broken back.
“He described pulling a loose handhold, then fell backwards and was hanging on his rope,” said Aaron Beardmore, a public safety specialist with Banff National Park.
“He experienced quite a lot of pain in his pelvis and spine, but luckily he had no head injury.”
The two other climbers in the group were quick to raise the alarm via cellphone and, because a helicopter was at the Banff warden office, rescuers were on scene in less than 10 minutes.
Thanks to the help of his buddies, the injured man was lowered to a ledge between the second and third belay; however, the ledge was precariously loose and sloping.
One of the Parks rescuers belayed a second rescuer to the injured climber. The rescuer had to drill a new anchor to make a safer working area to attend to the injured man.
The injured man’s friend, who had stayed on the ledge with his buddy, was lowered to the belay station below and then the second rescuer headed up with a vacuum mattress, a heli-rescue Bauman bag and neck collar.
“The two rescuers spent probably 20 minutes packaging the patient,” said Beardmore.
“It was extremely challenging based on the fact it was down-sloping and loose terrain.”
One of the rescuers was heli-slung off the mountain with the patient, while the other visitor safety specialist rappelled down and walked out with the two uninjured climbers.
