Two male climbers, ages 47 and 50, were rescued by Rocky Mountain National Park rangers from Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday, according to a press release issued this morning by RMNP.

The climbers were on Kiener’s Route at approximately 14,000 feet when they requested assistance Friday night, Feb. 6, reporting that they were incapacitated and unable to continue. According to the press release, the climbers had not planned to spend the night.

Rangers maintained communication with the climbers through the overnight hours. Early Saturday morning, February 7, two Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue teams, along with members of Larimer County Search and Rescue, began hiking toward the Longs Peak area.

Due to high winds, a U.S. Forest Service helicopter and a Flight for Life helicopter were forced to stand down. A Chinook helicopter and its flight crew from the Colorado National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility at Buckley Space Force Base, along with rescuers from Alpine Rescue and Rocky Mountain Rescue, were able to land on the summit of Longs Peak at approximately 2:15 p.m. Saturday. The climbers were rescued and flown to Upper Beaver Meadows Road within Rocky Mountain National Park.

Adam Aldridge of the Estes Park Mountain Shop has summited Longs Peak 19 times. In an interview with the Estes Valley Voice, Aldridge said Longs “is definitely a true mountaineer’s mountain, especially in the winter months.”

Considered the state’s deadliest mountain, Longs Peak, at 14,259 feet, is the tallest mountain and the only 14-er in Rocky Mountain National Park. The Centennial State boasts 58 named peaks that rise above 14,000 feet.

According to Aldridge, climbers who want to take on the challenge of Longs at any time of year need the right equipment, mountaineering experience, and to be prepared for conditions that can change on a dime, including ice, snow, high winds, lightning, and freezing temperatures.

 “You’re going to be strapping on crampons and ice axes, and you’re really going to be trying to dial yourself in so that you can be as safe as possible up there,” said Aldridge, affectionately known by fellow climbers as “Alpine Adam.”

 “I was just looking at the fourteener’s Facebook page, and there was a gentleman who just went up the keyhole route three days ago under very light snow conditions for this time of year, and was successful and had a great ascent.”

“Only so many people really want that challenge,” Aldridge said, pointing to local climber and author Lisa Foster, who has summited Longs more than 250 times and has made the ascent more than 60 months in a row over the past five years.

“She goes up each month and tops out on that mountain. She’s an example of one person who’s definitely pushing it,” said Aldridge.

Aldridge commended the search-and-rescue team members who rise to the challenge when climbers are in trouble. Referring to the two climbers rescued on Saturday, Aldridge said, “They obviously got into a situation where they needed help, and they were able to get it. We have such amazing SAR team members here in Rocky. We have amazing men and women who work in our Park, and we’re very fortunate that when you do need help, they’re going to come get you.”