A search and rescue helicopter airlifted four college-age campers from a clifftop site in the Red River Gorge after a winter storm trapped them there on Monday.
Courthouse Rock is a popular technical rock climbing area in the region that attracts athletes from around the country. The feature is best known for its striking sandstone walls that vaguely resemble a courthouse, and moderate sport climbs. According to Powell County Search and Rescue, the group of four students from Asbury University climbed to the top of Courthouse Rock without ropes to camp. But after a night of camping in the Arctic blast, they were unable to downclimb from the rocky outcropping due to snow.
“The students had been camping overnight and underestimated the weather conditions. After waking up this morning covered in snow, the group determined it was not safe for them to attempt climbing down,” the team wrote on Facebook
Once officials arrived on scene, they quickly determined that climbing conditions were unsafe, and the best way to extract the campers was via helicopter. As a result, Kentucky State Police began coordinating with Powell County to arrange the flight.
The pilot safely landed the helicopter on top of the rock feature despite the falling snow, and inclement weather. Upon reaching the campers, rescuers found all four cold but otherwise healthy
Helicopter rescues like this are relatively uncommon in the Red River Gorge, and they can be hazardous for all parties involved. Still, rescuers decided it was a safer option than attempting to reach the top under their own power. Jeremy Urekew of Powell County Search and Rescue stated in an interview with Lexington, Kentucky NBC affiliate WLEX-TV: “Anytime you have to hike in [at a rescue] it’s difficult, but when it is 15 degrees and snowy, it ups the ante a lot more.” An extraction of that caliber can quickly run awry if the weather turns.
On Facebook, the team called the operation “one of the most dangerous rescues ever attempted in the Gorge.”
“Climbing Courthouse Rock is extremely treacherous even when conditions are favorable,” they said. “Add in several inches of snow, icy rock faces, and a dash of wind; you have the perfect recipe for tragedy. Helicopters are inherently dangerous. When that is deemed the safest option, you know you’ve found yourself in [a] potentially life or death situation.”
Urekew added that forecasts in the area can be unpredictable, and that even those who enter the wilderness thinking they’re prepared may find themselves in trouble if the weather suddenly changes.
From 2024
