A climber fell roughly 50 feet on the Little Bear to Blanca traverse on August 2 after a handhold gave way. The Little Bear Peak rescue that followed involved a Colorado Army National Guard Black Hawk, an air ambulance and an all-volunteer search and rescue team. AVSAR credited the climber's helmet and a bystander's tourniquet with improving the outcome.
A Colorado Army National Guard Black Hawk hoisted an injured climber off Little Bear Peak on August 2 after he fell approximately 50 feet while traversing toward Blanca Peak, according to Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue, which released a detailed account of the mission.
The climber came to rest on a narrow ledge with significant exposure below, creating what AVSAR described as an immediate risk of a secondary fall. He had sustained an open fracture to his lower leg and was bleeding heavily. A makeshift tourniquet had been applied to control the hemorrhage before rescuers reached him, and his pain was reported as 10 out of 10.
The reporting party, who was climbing with him, said the injured man was an experienced climber and fell after a handhold failed.
How the Little Bear Peak rescue unfolded
Citing the technical terrain, the patient's unstable position and the potential for further injury, AVSAR leadership requested aviation support from the Colorado Army National Guard immediately. The team paged its membership, requested the LIFELINE 5 air ambulance and activated its specialized 4x4 response unit. Incident Command was established while resources were still moving.
Crews staged personnel and equipment at the Lake Como Road helipad. LIFELINE 5 inserted rescuers into the Crater Lake Basin below the traverse, while other AVSAR members transported technical rescue equipment up Lake Como Road by 4x4.
Two rescuers, one of them an EMT, hiked from the basin toward the patient to begin assessment and medical care. The National Guard arrived shortly after the ground team reached the traverse and conducted a technical hoist operation, inserting two rescue technicians to package the patient.
The Black Hawk lifted the patient and one rescue technician off the mountainside. AVSAR said crews also determined the reporting party should be evacuated by helicopter given the remote location and technical terrain. Both were flown to Alamosa Airport, where the patient was transferred to LIFELINE 5 for continued transport and advanced medical care.
Rescuers recovered the technical equipment and the patient's camping gear before descending Lake Como Road. The reporting party was reunited with his vehicle at Incident Command. AVSAR said the mission was completed without injury to rescue personnel.
Three serious calls in thirteen months
The August 2 fall was the third serious injury AVSAR has responded to on Little Bear Peak in just over a year, and each occurred on a different route.
On July 27, 2025, a climber in the Hourglass was struck by a large rock and fell roughly 30 feet. He was unresponsive with severe injuries and was not wearing a helmet. AVSAR sent ten members up Lake Como Road and three by helicopter, and the National Guard hoisted him out.
On June 27, 2026, a climber on the West Ridge Indirect fell a long distance after a large rock dislodged at the crux. Rescuers contended with 60 mph winds during the response. He died of his injuries, in what was the second reported fourteener death of Colorado's 2026 season.
The three incidents occurred on the Hourglass, the West Ridge Indirect and the Blanca traverse: three separate routes on and off the same summit. In each case, rock failure was a factor.
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Why the rock is a defining hazard on Little Bear
Little Bear Peak rises to 14,041 feet in the Sangre de Cristo Range and ranks 44th among Colorado's ranked fourteeners. No route to its summit is rated below Class 4, meaning every option involves steep, exposed terrain requiring the use of hands.
The standard route ascends the Hourglass, a roughly 300-foot section of water-polished granite slab known for rockfall, much of it dislodged by parties climbing above.
The traverse to Blanca carries a different profile. 14ers.com rates the route Class 5 with "extreme" exposure, describing sustained Class 4 climbing with some Class 5 moves and warning that a misstep could be fatal. The route description also notes that retreat becomes extremely difficult once a climber commits to the traverse, and recommends the peaks be climbed separately by anyone uncomfortable with steep, exposed terrain.
For a breakdown of what those ratings ask of a climber, see our guide to assessing 14er difficulty.
What AVSAR credited with the outcome
In its mission report, AVSAR identified two factors it said contributed to the climber surviving a fall of that distance in that terrain.
The team said the patient's use of a climbing helmet likely reduced the severity of the injuries he sustained. Our helmet guide for 14ers covers what to look for in a helmet for Class 3 and Class 4 terrain.
AVSAR also said the immediate hemorrhage control provided by a medically trained bystander before rescuers arrived played a critical role in stabilizing the patient and contributed to a successful outcome. Hours passed between the fall and the hoist.
The team described the response as a demonstration of the value of early resource requests and interagency cooperation during high-angle rescue operations.
Safety takeaways for Little Bear climbers
Drawing on AVSAR's findings and the route descriptions for the peak:
- Wear a helmet for the full time you are above Lake Como, not only in the Hourglass. Rockfall is documented across multiple routes on the mountain.
- Carry bleeding control equipment and the training to use it. A tourniquet and hemostatic gauze add minimal weight, and a wilderness first aid course covers their use.
- Carry a satellite messenger. Cell coverage in the basin is unreliable, and each of these missions began with an emergency call from the field.
- Avoid climbing the Hourglass with a party above you, given the documented rockfall from climbers overhead.
- Assess your Class 4 experience honestly before committing to the traverse, which requires sustained exposed downclimbing that cannot easily be reversed.
- Identify turnaround points in advance. On the traverse, the option to retreat closes early.
Little Bear sits at the far end of the difficulty range, and most climbers are better served starting elsewhere. Our quiz matches you to peaks based on your scrambling comfort, exposure tolerance, fitness and vehicle, and it will not recommend anything above the level you describe. Find out which 14er you should climb →
AVSAR is an all-volunteer team. All three of its recent Little Bear responses required National Guard aviation support to complete.
Reporting from Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue, the Colorado Sun, the Alamosa News and 14ers.com. AVSAR accepts support at Colorado Gives. For current route conditions, check 14ers.com before you go.
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