Climber Rescued After Clinging to a 6-Inch Ledge 10,000 Feet Up Sierra Nevada
A climber on Laurel Mountain’s Mendenhall Couloir in the Sierra Nevada was stranded on a six-inch ledge about 10,000 feet up after veering off route. Rescue efforts, hampered by strong winds, lasted roughly 15 hours with rescuers navigating in darkness on foot; the climber, Rob Martin, spent about eight hours on the ledge before being secured to a rope and rescued. The operation avoided a helicopter hoist due to winds, and authorities emphasized the danger of unprotectable terrain off-route.