Las Vegas Rescue Team Successfully Airlifts Stranded Climbers from Red Rock Canyons

October 26, 2025

In the pre-dawn darkness of Red Rock’s canyons, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) Search and Rescue unit orchestrated a high-flying operation that brought three stranded climbers back to safety. According to an Instagram post by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue, the episode began when a personal locator beacon signal alerted them to climbers in distress at the climbing route Tunnel Vision on Saturday, October 25, around 1 am.

Following the beacon’s distress call, received through the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, SAR personnel launched their helicopter, AIR1, to scour the climbing route for the missing individuals. The PLB’s owner had reached out, revealing her husband and two friends were overdue from their climb, further aiding the search efforts. The rescue team—heroes without capes but with a lezard hoist—swiftly identified the climbers stuck midway up their route, as reported by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The operation unfolded without the drama often projected in Hollywood blockbusters, testament to the SAR’s expertise and calm under pressure. No injuries were reported among the climbing party, and AIR1’s crew managed to extract all three individuals safely by hoist. Successfully retrieved from their precarious position, the climbers were then transported to the BLM Fire Station helipad, where they met with ground personnel for the final phase of their unexpected journey, as stated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Las Vegas’s outdoor enthusiasts often find themselves ensnared by nature’s fickle temperament, but it’s the ceaseless vigilance and professionalism of teams like Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Search and Rescue that turn potentially tragic tales into stories of survival. Grateful for their rescue, the climbers were likely reminded that the beauty of the Nevada desert can sometimes belie the dangers held within its rocky embrace.