Oakland climber Rob Martin was rescued after becoming stranded on a ledge just six inches wide at about 11,000ft near Mammoth Lakes, California.
Martin had gone off route while climbing the Mendenhall Couloir, a steep gully on Laurel Mountain, on Saturday 22 August. He was unable to continue either upwards or back down and remained trapped above a vast drop. ([monosar.org](https://www.monosar.org/missions))
The Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team was alerted at 1.18pm after Martin activated his Garmin InReach satellite device. Rescuers said he had only one foot fully on the ledge and was repeatedly shifting his stance to prevent his legs from tiring or cramping. ([monosar.org](https://www.monosar.org/missions))
A California Highway Patrol helicopter reached the area, but winds gusting at up to 30 to 40 knots made a hoist extraction impossible. Teams were instead taken to the mountain’s upper slopes while others transported ropes and technical rescue equipment by off-road vehicle. ([monosar.org](https://www.monosar.org/missions))
As darkness fell, rescuers located Martin and built a four-bolt anchor system before traversing the exposed gully towards him. One rescuer eventually reached the climber and clipped him into a secure rope.
Martin was then escorted back across the gully and up to the summit ridge, with the operation ending at 4.34am on Sunday 23 August. The rescue involved 171.7 hours of volunteer work, according to the Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team. ([monosar.org](https://www.monosar.org/missions))
Mitchell Quiring, one of the rescuers, said Martin’s strength and determination had helped him survive the ordeal.
“He was not going to give up. He was going to push until there was a solution,” Mr Quiring told the Associated Press. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/3c333145b93a4f48df57c5cbf44dfe87))
