Las Vegas search-and-rescue crews had their hands full at Red Rock Canyon this week, pulling off two helicopter hoists in two days to pluck stranded climbers off the rock. The second call wrapped up Tuesday evening, when teams responded to a party stuck on a steep section of Black Velvet Canyon and lifted them into a waiting helicopter at about 7 p.m. Both rescues ended with climbers safely back at the trailhead, a clear reminder of how a big technical day can suddenly turn into a night rescue.
Local coverage described the back-to-back calls and noted that crews could not reach some parties on foot, which meant aerial hoists were the only safe option. According to 8 News Now, the Black Velvet Canyon call came in around 7 p.m., and search-and-rescue officers used a hoist operation to extract the stranded climbers.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department fields hoist-capable helicopters and a dedicated Search and Rescue unit for these kinds of technical extractions, and the department reports that it conducts dozens of helicopter missions every year. LVMPD’s Air Support and Search and Rescue page outlines the unit’s aircraft, staffing and workload, and notes that the team supported dozens of search-and-rescue helicopter operations in 2025. On steep, remote walls where ground crews get shut down by terrain, those aviation assets, paired with volunteer mountain-rescue teams, are often the quickest route to a safe exit.
Why Climbers Get Stuck
Rope jams, anchors that refuse to pull and the sun dropping faster than expected on long rappels are all classic ways a climbing day goes sideways. In a similar November incident, rescuers had to hoist canyoneers off the “Old Bill” descent after snagged ropes turned a routine outing into a helicopter ride, highlighting how fast a normal descent can escalate into a full-blown emergency.
Following that earlier rescue, officials reminded climbers that carrying multiple ropes, headlamps and other backup gear can be the difference between hiking out under your own power and waiting in the dark for a hoist, as ropes jam on 'Old Bill' coverage noted.
Safety Takeaways
The Bureau of Land Management urges Red Rock visitors to share trip plans with a trusted contact, use the area's backcountry late-exit pass and stick to established routes to cut down on night-time rescues. LVMPD echoes that message and stresses training, fitness and redundancy in rope systems as key prevention tools for anyone tackling technical climbs in the canyon.
Planning for a long day, packing extra lighting and cordage, and filing a trip plan with someone at home can keep a minor problem from turning into an aerial extraction. Red Rock offers world-class climbing, but the combination of soft sandstone and long rappels leaves climbers very little margin for error. If you head out this season, leave a route plan, bring backups and know your exit route, so you are less likely to find yourself dangling under a helicopter.
