A recent story about a search-and-rescue mission in Washington State highlights an important lesson for rock climbers. When attempting your first multi-pitch route on a big wall of rock, its best to keep your climbing party small.

　　According to the Methow Valley News, on Tuesday, May 21, a group of eight climbers from Illinois and Indiana attempted to ascend a long sport climbing route on the Goat Wall in Mazama, Washington. The party started climbing at 7:30 A.M. and were still only two-thirds up the route when the sun began to set. By the time the group called the Okanagan County Sheriff’s Office at 10:30 P.M. to initiate a rescue, it was dark.

　　Zach Winters, a Okanagan County Search and Rescue (OSCAR) volunteer who was familiar with the route, called members of the climbing party in Mazama to try and coach them to descend on their own. Unfortunately, the climbers lacked experience on routes that big, and they “should never have been up there,” according to another member of OCSAR. None had ever done a multi-pitch climb before, Winters said to the Methow Valley News.

　　Winters and two others arrived on the scene around midnight and began to help, but the weather then took a turn for the worse. Spring conditions in the North Cascades can be unpredictable, even in late May. A storm rolled into Mazama as rain turned to heavy, slushy snow, forcing the climbers to take shelter in a small cave near the ledge on which they were stranded.

　　Meanwhile, rescuers arrived at the top of the Goat Wall via an access road with food and supplies and began fixing ropes to descend to the marooned party. Snow and ice jammed the rappel devices of the OCSAR members, slowing their progress as they made their way down the climbing route.

　　Rescuers helped six of the climbers rappel more than 800 feet to the ground. Two party members didn’t feel comfortable descending, so the SAR team used a pulley system to haul them up to the top of the route.

　　Winters and one of the two climbers were tethered together for the ascent, according to the Methow Valley News. It was a long and difficult process to haul them the remaining 600 feet—at times, they were simply dangling in space, Winter said.

　　The mission stretched overnight, through the morning, and into the next afternoon. It was not until 5:30 P.M. on Wednesday, May 22—a full 34 hours after the climbers started the route—that all eight were safely on solid ground, said OCSAR coordinator Rick Balam.

　　What We Can Learn from this Debacle? I’m well versed in the quixotic nature of planning a destination climbing trip from the Midwest. I went to college in Illinois, and as a newer climber I learned many skills on by reading books and advice on the Internet. I used what little free time I had during the winter to test those skills on big routes out west. I read Chris MacNamara’s How to Big Wall Climb my freshman year and spent a few weeks climbing ropes strung over Chicago lamp posts and learning to build hall systems before driving to Zion National Park to aid climb a few big walls.

　　So, when I read that this party had “spent a year researching the Goat Wall,” before actually attempting it, I partially understood their predicament. But just looking over a route on MountainProject a few times isn’t actually preparation. There are ways to practice big-wall skills in a climbing gym or at small crags prior to your ascent.

　　I report on a lot of SAR calls (and recently have made a few to help other parties in the field) and this Mazama debacle is one of the weirdest rescue stories I’ve ever heard. There are a few important lessons to glean from it.

　　The biggest one is to keep group size small when tackling a big climb for the first time. Eight people was far too many for an attempt of this size. Details are fuzzy on exactly what rope systems the party used, but even if it was four teams of two (which would probably be the most efficient way to climb a moderate, safely-bolted sport climb such as the Prime Rib route on the Goat Wall) or if they stacked more than two people per rope. But in any case, if you’re climbing at or above your limit, take two partners maximum.

　　The next lesson is about weather. The North Cascades often experience snow and rain in Late May, yet this party still attempted a huge multi-pitch climb during this window. A smarter choice would have been to push the attempt to later in the season.

　　And finally, choosing the right route for a multi-pitch newbie is crucial. This group chose a 13-pitch route that is 1,500 vertical feet—thats probably far too difficult a rock to learn how to do a multi-pitch climb. This is a totally different skill set from cragging or gym climbing. Learning to be efficient at belay changeovers is a vital skill when you have to do it 13 times. Just an extra ten minutes fumbling at each belay will cost you more than two hours over the course of the whole route. Find a two pitch route to dial in your skills.