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Published September 15, 2026 04:04PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
On September 11, a climber fell 200 feet while ascending on a 700-foot-tall rock face known as Power Dome in California\u2019s Sierra Nevada mountains. He was bleeding heavily, and his friends used a shirt as a bandage while they awaited a helicopter rescue.<\/p>\n
A California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter flew within 15 feet of the sheer granite cliff and rescued the climber with a hoist evacuation system, officials said in a statement. Authorities have not released the climber\u2019s name, age, or condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was completely coherent and alert, despite a lot of blood loss,\u201d flight officer and paramedic Scott Clays, who operated the helicopter\u2019s hoist during the rescue, told Outside<\/em>. \u201cHe just seemed very tough.\u201d<\/p>\nPower Dome is a 700-foot granite formation located near Courtright Reservoir, a popular climbing and camping area about two hours from Fresno, California. Authorities did not say which route the climber was on, but Power Dome has around 40 trad, sport, and toprope routes of varying difficulty.<\/p>\n
Inside the Harrowing Power Dome Rescue<\/h2>\n
Around 12:45 P.M., CHP\u2019s Coastal Division Air Operations said\u00a0that it received an evacuation request for the fallen climber.<\/p>\n
During the climber\u2019s ascent, he fell and hit the cliff face, Clays said. The climber lost a significant amount of blood from his injuries. His climbing partners removed his shirt and used it as a bandage to control the bleeding. Still connected to his ropes, the victim\u2019s climbing partners lowered the man to a narrow ledge for rescuers to evacuate him from.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ledge seemed to be shoulder-width,\u201d Clays said, adding that it was about 200 feet off the ground.<\/p>\n
The Fresno County Sheriff\u2019s Office, which assisted in the rescue, first sent in a drone to provide images of the\u00a0climber\u2019s condition and location. The CHP helicopter crew flew within 15 feet of sheer granite\u2014the limit of their safety clearance\u2014to execute a high-risk short-haul hoist rescue.<\/p>\n
Any closer, Clays said, and a \u201ccatastrophic\u201d collision may have occurred.<\/p>\n