MOUNTAIN rescue teams have told how they worked through the night and in complete darkness in order to rescue a stranded climber clinging to a rock pinnacle near Ashbourne.
The 37-year-old man became stranded on a rock spire in an area of crag known as Jacob’s Ladder, in Dovedale.
The Derby Mountain Rescue Team (DMRT) was called out by Staffordshire Police just after 10pm to help locate and rescue the stranded man.
Following a five-hour rescue mission, the man was finally taken to safety just after 3am.
A spokesman said: “Eighteen volunteers from the Mountain Rescue Team responded to the call and quickly located the casualty, thanks to the police helicopter using infra-red and search lights.
“A team climber then carried out a difficult climb in the dark to reach the top of the pinnacle, and was then able to set up a rope system to allow the man to be abseiled down to the foot of the rock.
“The man was then guided through a steep woodland to the valley floor, where a waiting team Land Rover took him to Dovedale car park, where he was examined by paramedics from East Midlands Ambulance Service.”
Kevin Corcoran, press officer for DMRT, said the operation, which came to a conclusion on Tuesday last week, was a potentially treacherous rescue, particularly because of the light conditions and the difficult terrain.
He told the News Telegraph: “As the rescue was in complete darkness, it was a particularly tricky operation.
“The man had somehow managed to reach this crag without ropes in the daylight, before becoming stranded.
“Because of this, it was a dangerous climb to reach him before we could attach ropes to the rock face for him to abseil down.
“It was really strange, and one of the most difficult ones we have taken part in because of the steep and rock terrain.
“He is very lucky that we were able to reach him.”
A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: “Officers responsed to a report of a missing 37-year-old man, from the Burton area.
“The man was eventually located in the remote Jacob’s Ladder area of Dovedale, where he was stranded on a rock.
“Officers established and maintained contact with him and called in Derby Mountain Rescue Team, who brought him down to safety.
“He was taken to hospital for treatment and assessment.”
