A pair of climbers stranded while scaling one of the Flatirons formations at the edge of Boulder made it back down the mountain with the help of rescuers Saturday night.
Walt Schaatt, 19, and Henry Allen, 20, called for help at about 7:40 p.m.
The two “were stuck on the Third Flatiron with no supplies for climbing after dark or spending the night. They were not injured during their climb,” according to a county release.
The Third Flatiron is among the steepest and busiest multi-pitch climbing routes in the world. It is also a nesting site for falcons, which limits the climbing season.
Others in the area who had heard the pair’s calls for help directed the Rocky Mountain Rescue volunteers to the climbers.
Once the climbers were found, Rocky Mountain Rescue volunteers assisted them down the mountain without incident.
The climbers “were kind of ill-prepared and got stuck up there after dark,” Sgt. Brian Zierlein said at 9:40 p.m. “It sounds like they had only one rope.”
“God bless these guys, climbing in the dark on this stuff,” Zierlein said. “I wouldn’t do it.”
The Flatirons are a series of five sheer sandstone walls that jut almost vertically, like mammoth clothes irons, over the city of Boulder and the University of Colorado campus. The climbers called for help at the south end of the formation.
The Flatirons are part of Fountain Formation. The Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs are also composed of Fountain Formation rock.
Chris Baker, a dispatcher for the sheriff’s office, said it was not unusual for climbers to ascend the Flatirons late on warm Saturday afternoons. “The weekends are pretty busy,” he said.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or
