Letter: Rock climbers thankful for rescuers' efforts

Recently, our group made the journey from Canada down to Las Vegas to enjoy some of the finest rock climbing on the continent. Climbing is inherently a risky sport, but experience and preparation can offset much of this risk.

Among us, we had 20 years of combined technical rock-climbing experience, and we had been monitoring the weather forecasts for several days in preparation for our activities. Despite these precautions, we found ourselves one night, after the sun had set, stranded 300 feet below the top of an established climbing route in Pine Creek Canyon.

With the darkness and unexpected high wind conditions, finishing the climb would have been extremely dangerous, so instead we decided to settle in for the night on the only spot available: a small, rocky ledge more than 1,500 above the desert floor.

That night, the weather changed dramatically. The temperatures dropped to 28 degrees, and the wind slowly increased until it reached speeds of 57 mph. As the risks of hypothermia became a reality, it was clear that the safest means of reaching the ground with all climbers alive was to request the assistance of the Las Vegas emergency services.

Using our cell phone, we called 911, who put us through to Sgt. Clint Bassett, Search and Rescue coordinator of Metro Police, who immediately dispatched a helicopter to find us. Because of the high winds, the pilot couldn't come close enough to pick us up.

Bassett next called in a team of volunteers to hike up the backside of the mountain to help us. Unfortunately, the weather won again, forcing the hikers to stop before they reached us.

The next morning, with the wind still too strong for a helicopter to reach us, and under the guidance of SAR personnel, we risked the last 300 feet of climbing and were met at the top of the mountain by an Air Force helicopter. Exhausted, dehydrated and shivering uncontrollably from mild hypothermia, we were hoisted up into an Air Force helicopter and flown down to safety.

The Search and Rescue team, many of whom were volunteers, came to our rescue and put their lives on the line for ours. Many of them got no sleep that night, and all of them left the safety of their homes to spend a cold, bitter night outdoors trying to rescue total strangers.

While we will remember the neon lights and the gambling tables of Las Vegas for years to come, it is these people -- the ones who keep Las Vegas safe -- who will always have a special place in our hearts.

Charles Jaimet, Stephen Lew, Andrew McConnell, Gordon Warlow, Toronto, Ontario

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