Injured climber stranded on rock face after 30-foot fall in CA. See the rescue
An injured climber was rescued after falling 30 feet down a California rock formation, officials say.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit made its way to Lily Rock in Idyllwild to help a climber who was hurt after falling about 30 feet on Sunday, May 18, rescuers said in a May 20 Instagram post.
The climber, who had a “limb injury,” was stranded on the wall of the steep rock formation, rescuers said.
A video shared by rescuers shows a team flying in a helicopter overhead toward the injured climber surrounded by rugged and steep terrain.
The helicopter hovers over the rock formation, and a rescuer is lowered to the climber.
As the rescuer slowly makes his way to the climber, he lightly grips the wall until he reaches them, the video shows.
“Hold on! Hold on!” the rescuers says as he hooks the climber up to rescue equipment.
The climber holds onto the rescuer as they are hoisted from the cliff, the video shows.
“Shout out to the Good Samaritan climber who assisted prior to us showing up,” rescuers said.
Lily Rock, also known as Tahquitz Rock, is a rock formation “above the mountain town of Idyllwild in Riverside County in San Bernardino National Forest, on the western slope of the San Jacinto mountain range,” according to Summit Post.
It is about a 110-mile drive southeast from Los Angeles.
This story was originally published May 21, 2025 at 12:23 PM.
