Survival gear is lowered from the park helicopter to stranded climbers on the Salathe Wall. –photo by Mike Shore
Statistics
- Cost: approx. $110,000
- Rescuers Involved: 110
- Aircraft used: 1 helicopter
- Persons Rescued: 5
- Bodies Recovered: 2
- Duration of Rescue: 4 days
Rescuer Brandon Latham (in blue) with stranded climber on the Salathe Wall on the fourth day of operations. -NPS photo
More information on the El Capitan Rescue Complex:
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El Capitan Rescues
10-19-04 to 10-22-04
On October 17, 2004, a severe storm hit Yosemite National Park and lingered for several days. Four climbing parties were high on El Capitan and were subsequently stranded. A team of two Japanese climbers died during the storm, but all other climbers were rescued. (Read the Nose Fatalities Analysis and the Nose Fatalities Report)
On Tuesday, October 19, 2004, a large scale rescue attempt was initiated and lasted for four days.
Due to the harsh weather conditions, the park’s helicopter was initially of no use. All rescue equipment and personal survival gear was hiked in over eleven miles starting at Highway 120 on the road to the Tamarack Flat campground. An initial team of three was sent to flag the trail in to the summit of El Capitan, and larger teams followed. (Read a first-hand account from the flagging team.)
By the time rescuers were in position to rig for the rescue of the Japanese team, the clouds broke long enough to assess the condition of the pair. The team appeared to be deceased and this was further confirmed by flying close to the climbers for a clear visual inspection. Because the Japanese climbers were deceased, all rescue resources were diverted to other climbing teams. The bodies of the Japanese climbers were recovered later.
The weather continued to improve through the operation and we were able to utilize the park’s contract helicopter to complete the operation.
In all, five climbers were successfully rescued off three routes: two off the Salathe Wall, two off Never Never Land, and one off the Tempest. (See the Salathe Wall Rescues Report)
These rescues received national media attention and have been featured in Rock & Ice, National Geographic Advenure Magazine, and Reader’s Digest.
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