Now we know why this guy couldn't get anybody that knew him, to climb with him.

Lietuva myl Latvija❤

I was just browsing youtube when this video comes up and I give it a click. I remember climbing the standard hiking route back a few years ago, and it was quite challenging. I also remember during that climb there was a helicopter rescue going on. I see the date and rush to my photos. I have photos and video of the rescue happening from about on the 19th of September, 2020. Never knew what happened to the climber. 4 years later and its great to hear everyone made it out safe!

WOW, epic rescue! A display of absolute professionalism between NG & Volunteer SAR working together, getting two guys in an unfortunate situation home safe, from a really bad place! Talk about service before self...

To those who are upset that this rescue was funded by taxpayers: what the hell else are our taxes for other than helping those of us who need help when we inevitably mess up or life hits us? You should be thankful we have these types of services and people willing to do these missions. Unless, of course, you are a fat keyboard warrior that doesn't get out. Thank you, US Army, National Guard, and all Colorado search and rescue teams!!

-- *_Nice work! Thank you Soldier Stories & CHRT!_*

A few thoughts after watching this video: 1) As fellow adventurers who like to move and spend time in alpine environments, it's important that we learn from every accident/mishap/rescue that happens to others OR to ourselves. Examine the chain of decision-making for teachable moments. I don't think there's was a single, critical error in decision-making for the guys in this story that doomed their mission to failure besides the obvious error in routefinding, but there are elements in the chain that could have prevented them from needing rescue. Taking a first trip with a new partner, to do a route that neither have done before/are familiar with personally, where the level of technical difficulty is low enough to lead to some complacency, and where there has recently been weather that has negatively impacted the route conditions, are all factors that led to this result. What could they have done differently? They could have taken a few lower-consequence trips first to build trust and good communication patterns. They could have tried to go as members of a party with someone who knew the route better and had done it before. They could have recognized that the recent snow might have changed the way the route looked and added some difficulty and postponed or rescheduled their trip. They could have discussed very explicitly what their self-rescue plan would be if one partner or the other lost their nerve and didn't feel they could continue. They should have been more diligent about their route-finding, familiarizing themselves with where they needed to go before beginning each pitch. The list goes on. This kind of analysis saves lives. 2) It's a good reminder that even very experienced adventurers are susceptible to accidents and getting into bad situations. In some sense they are MORE likely to as they are more frequently putting themselves in high-consequence situations. It's important to remember that IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU, no matter how much experience you have. The only way to guarantee you never are in a situation like this is to always stay at home, and those of us who have felt the joy of the mountains know that that isn't an option. Make a plan, train, know how to use your equipment, pack that space blanket and those extra layers and some extra food and that InReach you hate carrying, even for the easy stuff. 3) If you feel that your best and safest and most necessary course of action is to call for a rescue, do not hesitate to do so. Do not let fear of ridicule online or in the press or from your peers keep you from making it home alive. It's important to build the experience and skills and keep the mindset and take the proper steps before any adventure to keep yourself out of situations where you need to call for a rescue, and to train yourself in the proper skills to self-rescue, but in the moment, all that goes out the window. Press that SOS button if you feel you need to. Local papers around the world are full of obituaries for people who thought they could do it, just make it to that ledge, just find that trail if they crest the next ridge, pilots who are too embarrassed to declare an emergency, people who worry that they can't pay for the helicopter/ambulance ride, etc. It's easy for all of us armchair warriors to pick apart your decision-making process, declare that you should've just repelled back down, lambast your for risking the lives of the rescuers when you should've just done X. Listen to the rescue tech near the end who speaks about the mental state the climber must have been in after his fall and remember that it is nearly impossible to train under the mental and physical conditions that you will face in a mountain emergency. At the end of the day, only you can make the decision to call for rescue, and it's better that these guys are alive to tell this story than if they had become a cautionary tale because they were too rattled after the fall to tie a knot in the end of their rappel rope. Just my thoughts. Incredible job by these rescuers to pull this off. Immense respect for those who put their lives on the line to save lives in the mountains.

Great video, thanks for covering the Baltic states

Holy fuck! Amazing story and video

Why dont you have a professional rescue team to do this job as its done in Europe on a daily basis?

Incredible rescue team. Completely unprepared, incompetent climber that put many many people’s lives in jeopardy.

There is no greater cause then to rescue those in danger. These men are every bit of the meaning of "HERO". Their call to rescue, is their battle field. I am a former Army Medic, and these men's call to duty, far exceeded mine.

Amazing!! Scary as hell just for me listening to the story, I thought they were going to say...and then this happened!! But nothing happen which was great. 2 climbers recued by some amazing people.. not exactly nothing but nobody got hurt, the helicopter didn't run out of fuel etc etc.. routine op..yeh right!! well done everyone.. now my heart can settle down. I'm an old lady after all...

Moral of the story is don't go climbing with a dude that can't stay on route and panics easy just because he has a trad rack. If you're struggling on a 5.6, you're either brand new to climbing, or off route.

Tough place to find out your not a rock climber.

Outstanding video and SAR mission.

Great work to all involved! The pilots are total pros. The fact thay they do these missions as 'training' is incredible.

These rescue guys are studs

Way too many gym climbers getting in to trouble these day gyms breeds these people be responsible for your self. Im not being a jerk. When you have to bag a dead climbers all new gear not enough experience to stay alive .its not fun dont be the weak link learn rockcraft . Make it back yo your family.

Living in the ditch yosar is a class above all

Glad to know that this helicopter unit is far more professional nowadays.

Great story, but, I will not attempt Crestone (or Capitol) because, as Inspector Callahan said, "A man's gotta know his limitations." Is it wrong to point out that the climbers were in over their heads and put other people's lives at risk because of their selfish desire for bragging rights?

This is... G O L D !!! With the music and attention to detail. Good stuff As far as the rescue though, and I don't know every detail, but seems like that was a waste of resources. Could they not repel? What am I missing? Must be a lot

ngl Sam looks creepy and awkward af

Wait. That route is a 5.7!!!! I am not trying to bash on people but if you can not handle a 5.7 you should not be back country with a new partner who has no trad or rescue training . Thrill seeking w/o thoughts of the “what ifs?”

Great story, and awesome rescue. Nice work to the air crew and the rescue techs.

These pilots are rock stars. Keeping that Blackhawk steady at 14k in not easy at all!

In the UK rhis would be conpletely free as emergency services are state funded and mountain rescue are volunteers. How would these people have paid for this kinda rescue. Do climbers have to have insurance to cover rescues? Or would they be served a healthy bill?

stupid people should not be rescued... sorry but your risking so many other people's lives and time and money...

Can we settle this. A 14er refers to the 14 peaks across the globe that are above 8000METERS there’s no 14er in Colorado. It is not in reference to feet, or height at all, it’s in reference to the number of peaks above 8000 meters.

Lesson from this is don't do something very dangerous with someone you just met on the internet.

It was completely irresponsable that Sam tried this clilmb with minimal skills to be in that enviroment. he even implys that his partner is to blame at the begining. Sam simply gives up at the first sign of trouble and acts like theres nothing to do but call rescue. he risked the lifes of many people, with families just for a pipe dream of doing something that he had no bisness doing.

Please take this video down. The story is f****** ridiculous and these people are actually stupid

The first thing i see is my countries independence day and then reminding about the Russo-Ukrainian war. Celebrating this day is almost impossible when this war is going on.

Even with snow and ice cover these guys had every opportunity to triple check route conditions and make an educated decision to move forward or not. Their ego resulted in a rescue, not the terrain.

When i did the Ellingwood ledges we soloed the whole bottom half. Just a bunch of grassy ledges with two or three sections of 5ft of vertical rock. The fact that they were caught in the dark is their first problem. Speed is safety in the mountains. They should have rappelled. Would have saved everyone a lot of trouble, and saved them a cold bivy on the wall. Would cost them most of their rack, but someone can come back for that. Seems like he could use a lesson.

Wow, this just hit my KZbin algorithm and holy crap, these men are absolute hero’s and role models. I am beyond impressed! Really great storytelling/video production too! I would have never guessed it was done in house. Amazing video all around!

I have the highest respect for these men and rescue operators

I wonder how much it cost the climbers to be rescued?

Absolutely phenomenal job by everyone.

These guys shoulda been billed for this.

I got a feeling the other guy was a big pissed he wanted to call for a rescue.

badass production. God bless rescue teams. Professionals in the best sense possible

Guy in the red has serial killer eyes tbth lol.

Hmph, I wouldn't follow that dude to the store..

If you already don't own the gear, you don't have the skills. Never do something new with an unknown partner. Good lessons.

Wow. Amazing! Well done Rescuers, Helicopter Pilots!

I am so scared of heights that just watching this on my phone has me almost to the point of trying to find something to grab onto. I realize that it's so irrational, but to my mind it's horrifying. Sucks to be ruled this way

Absolutely the best rescue video I've ever seen. Great details and commentary. 👍👍👍

I did all my peak-bagging before cell phones and the internet were invented. Thank God I never needed a rescue. Awesome video! I could feel my hands sweating just watching.