COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Within the beauty of the Westside, some people see handholds and footholds for climbing. Some are prepared, and some are not.
Recently, the Colorado Springs Fire Department's High Angle Rescue team used highly skilled techniques to save a climber who fell 50 feet in North Cheyenne Canyon due to an equipment mishap.
"Did a two rope system with a 300 ft lower and that got them out of the scree and into below a cliff band," said C.J. Sidebottom, a firefighter with the high angle rescue team.
More often, the team goes to help people who have slid off trails or climbed up what seemed like a simple 15-foot rock face and then got stuck.
"We've literally used our ladders that we use for firefighting operations to help get people down off some of those ledges before," Sidebottom said.
Dan Markle, owner of Front Range Climbing Company, has tested his skills all over the West and considers Colorado Springs climbing world-class. He also knows climbers need to know what they are doing.
"Climbing up is actually pretty intuitive. I take hundreds of beginners climbing a year. It's pretty intuitive. Climbing down, very unintuitive," Markle said,"The techniques are fairly simple, it's the judgment and decision making that is normally what gets people. Having the understanding of what you know. And being realistic about what you don't know,"
The better option is understanding the risk and resisting the urge to climb if you do not have safety measures in place.
"I would certainly encourage people to try and learn from other people's experience as well and to seek out professionals when necessary, use local clubs, local resources to help get you some of that experience," Sidebottom said.
"To do it safely, you need to take steps to mitigate those hazards," Markle said.
"Just do consider the consequence," Sidebottom said.
Climbers can go from city to rural environments in just minutes on the Westside. Another thing to consider is how to get help in an emergency. Consider things like weak to no cell phone service in most North Cheyenne Canon.
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