Climber Rescued After Fall on Snow Creek Wall in Leavenworth

Chelan County Search and Rescue teams rescued an injured climber Friday evening after falling and injuring himself while on a popular climbing route in Leavenworth.

Get our free mobile app

Chelan County Sheriff Mike Morrison says a call came in just after 5 p.m. reporting an injured climber on the "Outer Space" route at Snow Creek Wall. The man fell and broken his ankle.

A Chelan County Sheriff’s Office helicopter inserted a Mountain Rescue team at the top of the climbing route. Rescuers made their way down to the injured man, stabilized him, and lowered him another 800 feet to a safer extraction point.

The U.S. Army assisted in the operation, using a helicopter to hoist the man out and fly him to Pangborn Airport in East Wenatchee. From there, Ballard Ambulance transported him to a hospital for treatment.

The rescue effort took approximately nine hours and involved multiple agencies, including Chelan County Search and Rescue, Chelan County Emergency Management, the Mountain Rescue Team, and the U.S. Army.

Sheriff Morrison praised the teamwork involved, saying the mission was a success thanks to the collaboration of all responding agencies.