LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A helicopter rescue on Lone Mountain Monday night had northwest valley neighbors looking to the skies and wondering what was going on.
WATCH | Northwest Las Vegas reporter Tannenbaum spoke with a resident who witnessed the rescue:
"We were in the house and heard it, then went out on the deck," Richard Parker told me. "The apartment is on the second floor, so we watched it on the second floor — it was kind of a cool phenomenon, watching them circle with the high beams on."
I caught up with Parker at the Lone Mountain dog park Tuesday afternoon about what it was like to see a helicopter overhead.
"Isn't that wild was pretty much my reaction," Parker said. "That's pretty wild, I wonder what that's about."
Well, now we know — Metro Police Search and Rescue shared video of the rescue and details on social media on Tuesday morning.
According to their post, a climber got stuck trying to climb the south face of Lone Mountain around 7:30 p.m. and called 911, saying they weren't hurt but didn't think they could hold on for very long without falling.
Air 1 immediately responded and extracted the climber off the mountain with a hoist, landing safely near the Lone Mountain Equestrian Trail parking area.
"My initial reaction is, what's somebody doing in such heat out in the dark, so concern about the person going out," Parker said after I filled him in on the details of the rescue.
I also asked him if he'd seen anything like that before.
"No, only in movies and stuff like that," he said. "[If I do see a helicopter] usually it's due to criminal activity or something like that — never a rescue."
Unfortunately, though, Metro Police Search and Rescue crews say they have seen this before, sharing that this climber was inexperienced and unprepared for their climb attempt, despite having experience climbing indoors.
Parker, of course, was relieved to hear the climber is OK, but says you can never be too safe, especially in this Southern Nevada summer heat.
"Be careful," he said. "Be mindful that you can get into trouble."
Metro Search and Rescue says this serves as a great reminder to never climb alone and to make sure you're ready for your outdoor adventure, including staying hydrated, even as temperatures cool down a few degrees over the next few days.
Is there something going on in the Northwest Valley that you want me to know about? Email me: Guy@KTNV.com.
