Two climbers were rescued Saturday evening after becoming stranded on a cliffside 600 feet below a roadway in Big Sur, California. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) received a request for assistance from Big Sur Fire around 6:24 p.m. near Hurricane Point.
The CHP’s H-70 helicopter crew spotted the climbers in a steep chute far below the road. Due to the perilous terrain, the climbers could not safely disengage from the helicopter's hoist hook on their own. A specialized helicopter rescue technician was lowered to the cliffside while remaining attached to the aircraft's hoist.
The technician secured the first climber into a Pelican rescue harness, and the helicopter performed a "double extraction," lifting both the technician and the climber to a staging area. The helicopter then returned to the cliff to extract the second climber using the same hoist maneuver.
CHP officials described the operation as a high-risk, low-frequency rescue that their air crews continuously train for, emphasizing the minimal margin for error when operating in steep terrain, under hoist, and in challenging environmental conditions.
Information regarding what led to the climbers becoming stranded was not immediately released. The rescue occurred near Hurricane Point, which is outside the evacuation zone for the Timber Fire. The Timber Fire, which began on Aug. 8 in the Los Padres National Forest, had scorched over 12,000 acres and was approximately 25% contained as of Monday.
CHP expressed gratitude to the agencies and personnel involved for their coordination and professionalism during the challenging rescue operation.