Red Rocks climbing - Levitation 29 & Helicopter Rescue

[@avivmilner2556]

Aviv Milner here! I'm the cold bum that got rescued at the end of the video! Here is the full story: My partner and I climbed Johnny Vegas and Solar Slab, a beautiful and pleasant easy classic in the sun. I believe the entire thing was roughly 4 pitches for JV and 9 Pitches of SS, so 13 pitches or so in total and perhaps 600 meters vertical. We flew through it and were done by 1:00 pm, which was fantastic! We decided to do the walk off, despite the many warnings from the online forums that the walk off was too complicated and long. At 3:00 pm, at the very end of the descent into the wash, I slid down a slick slab and lost control of my speed. I was under the impression that I could keep it slow but I guess the angle and the cold (as well as the lack of features) made that impossible. I crashed against a rock and instantly knew that things were serious. My partner was clearly worried, but he remained calm and did everything he could to help me build a splint as we tried mightily to crawl out of that wash for 1 hour. For context, at 14:51 you can see Brittany doing "the slide" which is the very bottom of the descent and to the observers left of where I slide and broke my ankle (and my fibula). You can see that even Brittany was aware of just how slick and cold it was, but she was thankfully much lower than I was when I began my "slide". At 15:08 the camera pans to full slab, and that's where I slide down. At 4:00 pm we decided to split. I was too slow and the sun was quickly setting. My partner left all of the gear and even some of his warm clothing, while I built a shelter and waited, knowing that it would take him more than an hour to get to cell reception and call for help. At 5:30 pm, after the sun had set and I was starting to freeze, I hear Bobby and Brittany coming behind. The moment they saw me, they both did everything they could to help. They grabbed warm clothing and covered my freezing legs and body. They talked me through it and took turns walking around in the dark canyon yelling for help and desperately hoping to catch a rescue team. They even took my headlamp, which ran out of battery, and fitted it with their own batteries to make an S.O.S. light. They waited for over two hours for me while that chopper came to the rescue. Even when the LVMPD Search & Rescue superstar T.J. (guy in the video) dropped in, they were there to make sure I was OK. As I was being lifted away by the chopper, I was seriously concerned that B&B were still there, deep in the dark cold canyon, late at night. They were both cold, tired and it's no cake walk to get back home, but they did it because that's what real climbers do. Not only that, Bobby texted my Dad to make sure that he knew I was OK, which was incredible of him. It's been a couple weeks now, surgery went fine and I am healing fast. I broke my fibula and had a dislocation of the ankle, required two screws and a metal plate to be inserted and I am feeling great. I want people to know that Bobby & Brittany did the right thing and without them, and T.J., the entire LVMPD Search & Rescue team, the amazing EMTs and the doctors, and of course, my Dad who flew to Vegas from Vancouver and then drove me all the way back in my car, I would be in a much, much worse place. I also want to thank Pasquale, Melissa, John, Chandler (& his partner who's name I forgot), Shea and others for their kindness. Forever I am the number 1 fan of this channel, and B&B always have my respect. This was a very successful failure!

[@deadcoww]

Thank you for the story and allowing other climbers to learn from your misfortunes. I'm glad you are ok. Get well soon, my friend!

[@boundforeverywhere]

Happy to help and glad to hear that your surgery was a success! Let’s stay in touch! We should meet up in Squamish or Yosemite to climb together once you’re all healed 😊 The climbing community is so strong. Helping others is what it’s about.

[@GravityLabz]

Thanks for all of the insight Aviv! You are the man & will be back on the rock in no time. Happy healing buddy.

[@ajohnson9605]

This is the best story I've read in a long time. Hate you got injured but the best people you could have find you, found you. Just awesome climbing community activity right here.

[@keshavsaharia]

This is such a heartwarming story. Thank you so much for sharing it!

[@MMB2010AA]

Thank you guys for saving Aviv. He was so lucky to have you there!!!

[@GravityLabz]

happy to help out where we can!

[@sambowen7341]

Very true what the rescuer said at the end of the video, I’ve always found climbers looking out for each other and it’s one of my favorite parts of the sport

[@garvinnoah]

This was a wild video to watch. Climbing was so sick and that rescue was insane to watch. I've done that descent and slide a few times and it's definitely easy to get way too much speed on the tall spot. It's deceptively slippery and dangerous. Glad everyone was okay! Hoping to do levitation 29 this season.

[@benwolpert]

You two are so sweet. Thanks for the video and thank you for being such good people and helping that poor guy. Weve all had accidents, and if you havent, you will, but its nice that you pay it forward and treat people the way youd hope to be treated if you found yourself in a similar situation.

[@frjohnluke8453]

That was a very heartwarming video :) I was happy to see Kas send it in the end. Definitely having a wealth of resources like Mike and Pat around is super helpful. Bravo for another great video. It made me want to get outdoors and climb more. If I was only in sunny Las Vegas! Thanks. Peace!

[@JohnnyBushwhacker-yv6bc]

I know those slabs in the north fork of Oak Creek are slick as a bowling ball. Most are fine and sticky enough but that one spot coming down from painted bowl would be a surprise since you didn’t go up that way. Great job getting him outta there along with SAR, that’s not a hop, skip, and a jump outta there at all especially in the dark.

[@geofftt7925]

Frik, what a bummer flyinging someone out... But hey, if you guys ever goback and climb Eagle's Dance try topping out and do the whole descent. One of the most beautiful drainages in Red Rock. Whoop whoop

[@jackgreener2864]

Congrats on 1k subscribers!!

[@GravityLabz]

cheers buddy!

[@BryceU]

This is the next climb on my to-do list. Can't wait to get out there again to bag it. Thanks for the video.

[@GravityLabz]

yes go get on it, so good!

[@alexolson3351]

Bobby Is the Goat, Just like wow

[@GravityLabz]

Cheers buddy!

[@tristanbradford99]

american heroes

[@haaajerry3314]

Way to go!

[@onabrebv]

Always invest in a satellite garmin with an SOS button. I also pay $360 a year for full coverage for rescues as it cost ~ $10k for a helicopter rescue in Red Rock.

[@Govanification]

You guys rock, helping out at risk to yourself is really awesome and not something to take lightly! On another note, are you calling awesome face climbing pitches "splitter"?? I'm so confused!

[@Mike-oz4cv]

Isn’t splitter just a very long crack which “splits” the whole rock face in two?

[@boundforeverywhere]

Thank you! Always treat others how you hope to be treated 😊 Haha yes, we use “splitter” as a term for other things as well, like awesome and fun climbing, great weather, perfect snowboard conditions, etc.

[@suspower]

He took the fall on the solar slab walkoff. I hear its pretty rugged.. Awesome climb, and an awful and dangerous descent

[@mikeb5954]

Bobby B, Original Route Rainbow wall footage next brother!

[@GravityLabz]

definitely on the list. Stay tuned!

[@upandclosetothewall5064]

What camera are you using? Very viedo by the way

[@GravityLabz]

GoPro hero and iPhone haha. I am definitely not high tech