This Is Why You Should Support Your Local SAR Team
On September 11 last year, Becca Steinbecher broke a foothold and fell. This might not have been a problem if the climbing had been harder, but the 5.6 terrain was so easy for Steinbecher (who had led 5.12s on gear) that she’d run it out above a small yellow cam. The TCU ripped. Steinbecher fell 30 feet and smashed into the ledge from which her partner, Skyeler Congdon, was belaying. She broke her pelvis, elbow, neck, shoulder, and multiple ribs. When Congdon checked her vitals, Steinbecher was breathing, and there was a pulse, but she was unresponsive.
This would have been a problem anywhere, at any climbing area in the world, but it was especially dire at 7:00 a.m. on a crowdless Monday morning in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Suddenly tasked with initiating a rescue three full pitches up The Great White Wall (IV 5.10d; 1,300ft), without cell service or any source of help within radio range, Congdon made an incredibly difficult decision: he left Steinbecher unconscious on the wall, rappelled down the climb, ran up a 2,000 vertical foot gully, and drove until he got cell service. At 9 a.m., two hours after the accident, Congdon’s 911 call finally reached the Black Canyon’s SAR team, which is largely staffed by volunteers. The logistically complex day-long rescue effort that followed is detailed in an excellent new video, produced by John Glassberg, which I’ve linked below. By nightfall, Steinbecher was in the hospital. She regained lucidity two months later and is expected to make a full recovery.
But before you skip down to the video, I’d like to note that SAR programs, too, sometimes need our help. Shortly after Steinbecher’s accident, Climbing published an in-depth report about the rescue by Chris Kalman, who called attention to the fact that the Black Canyon of the Gunnison’s SAR team was woefully underfunded and got little support from the National Park Service. This isn’t particularly surprising: SAR programs around the country are underfunded, and most of the rescues that everyday climbers take for granted are accomplished by volunteers.
That’s why—and this sounds like a paid advertisement, but it’s not—Rocky Talkie’s Search and Rescue Awards, which are presented in collaboration with the American Alpine Club, are such a big deal.
This year, the Black’s SAR team received a $25,000 grant that they will use “for team training, instructional seminars, gear for members, and safety messaging in the park to help prevent future accidents.” Five other SAR programs have received smaller grants ($10,000 each)—including the SAR team overseeing the ever-popular Red River Gorge.
Lastly, there’s another $10,000 up for grabs and you can help allocate it. $5,000 will go for two additional SAR programs nominated by the public.
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