Sunday night, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of three climbers stranded on the Touched by an Angel climbing area near Sedona. Officials say the climbers were on their descent when their rope became stuck, and they were unable to retrieve it. The climbers were about 160-feet above the ground at the top of the first pitch. Search and Rescue responded to the call and assessed the situation. A plan to rescue the climbers using a hoist equipped DPS helicopter was devised. Upon arrival, it was determined that the climbers were in a location that could not be reached by rescuers on the hoist as it would require more hoist cable than was available on the aircraft. The uninjured climbers indicated that if they could get another rope and some warm clothing, food, and water they could set up to continue their rappel. The helicopter returned and hovered over the climbers to lower the supplies. Once the climbers had the supplies, it was decided that they would wait until daylight broke to begin rigging the new rope for a rappel. No injuries were reported.
