Climber calls for help from ledge after seeing friend fall 100 feet, Montana rescuers say

A rock climber, who was on a ledge 300 feet from the bottom of a mountain, called for help after seeing a friend fall 100 feet in Montana, rescue officials said.

Their friend fell near Bear Basin in Big Sky on Monday, Aug. 16, and suffered severe injuries, according to Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue.

Gallatin Search and Rescue, along with Rescue Big Sky Section, the SAR Heli Team, Big Sky Fire Department and Life Flight Network, responded to the call, officials said.

Rescue crews sent ground teams with “ropes and rigging gear,” while a helicopter team flew into the area, according to the sheriff’s department.

“The patient was packaged and short hauled to an awaiting medical unit,” the sheriff’s department said.

The climber was taken by helicopter to Bozeman Health for medical care, according to officials. The other climber, along with a Heli Team member, were also “hauled off the mountain.”

In an email to McClatchy News, Capt. Scott Secor with Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue said there was no additional information about the rescue, adding that the climber’s condition is unknown.

Big Sky is about 185 miles southwest of Billings.

This story was originally published August 17, 2022 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Climber calls for help from ledge after seeing friend fall 100 feet, Montana rescuers say."

Daniella Segura

McClatchy DC

Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.