A man was stuck for around 12 hours on a San Juan County cliff face after his knee got stuck in a crack of a climbing route Friday night.
San Juan County Search and Rescue said they were called to the Indian Creek area to help a man who had gotten stuck while doing the Generic Crack climbing route.
The man slipped while he was climbing, causing his knee to get stuck in the crack at around 8 p.m., officials reported.
Although his climbing partners tried to free him, he remained stuck and they decided they’d need extra help to get their friend free.
Once search and rescue teams arrived, it was determined a helicopter would need to fly the team to the top of the cliff, where they’d then rappel to the stuck man.
The team tried for several hours to free the man but then called for more help from the Grand County Search and Rescue team.
With the added help, the man was freed and brought to the ground safely.
In total, the man was stuck on the cliff face for around 12 hours, search and rescue crews stated.
After the entire ordeal, the man was lucky to have only minor injuries.
The San Juan County Search and Rescue team thanked partners at Classic Air Medical and the Grand County Search and Rescue team for their assistance as, “Without them, this rescue would not have been possible.”
