PINEDALE (WNE) — Two climbers who found themselves stranded high above the ground on the side of Pingora Peak overnight were safely rescued by members of Tip Top Search and Rescue and Lander Search and Rescue.

Pingora Peak is an 11,889-foot granite spire located in the Cirque of the Towers area of the Wind River Range in Fremont County. Its name is derived from a Shoshone word meaning “rocky, inaccessible peak.”

On August 20, the two men attempted to bail on the Pingora climbing route, but their rope became stuck while they were rappelling off with a tag line. Stranded on the sloping ledge attached to a tat anchor and unable to descend, the duo decided to trigger SOS to request a rope at around 5 p.m.

Fremont County contacted TTSAR for assistance about an hour and forty-five minutes later, at 6:45 p.m. But it was already too late in the evening, and a flight with a rescue team would not deploy to the hikers until the next morning. The duo weathered a chilly night on the side of Pingora Peak, with temperatures in the low 40s, but were “okay, just thirsty and tired,” according to responders.

TTSAR and two LSAR High-Angle team members with rescue and climbing equipment flew out to the stranded climbers at 7 a.m. the next morning. Because one climber was wearing a bright orange jacket and both were waving their hands, the search and rescue team spotted them on their first pass into the Cirque.

Two LSAR specialized climbers made their way from the helicopter to the ledge where the stranded climbers were waiting. From there, LSAR lowered both climbers to the base of Pingora. 

“Both were uninjured and declined transport. The rescued climbers continued their trip and hiked out,” TTSAR said in a statement.