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Blue Mtns 'copter rescues: 28/12/13 + 5/1/14 + ... 5-Jan-2014 At 12:55:31 PM onsight

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I've heard about several recent helicopter rescues of climbers in the Blue Mtns but details are sketchy. Can anyone please fill us in on these?

Firstly, 28/12/13, a climber was scrambling around near the base of Dogface, perhaps wasn't yet roped up, fell and badly broke his ankle.

Secondly yesterday, 4/1/14, climbers were winched off the Tom Thumb route, *approximately* 150m down the cliff, at 5pm. The route is 150m long; I really don't know where they were on the route, or if they got ropes stuck rapping in, or what. (My guess, at that time of day, it's more likely they were having trouble climbing out -- but that's only a guess).

Oh and while I'm at it, there was also a third rescue a few weeks back, when climbers rapped in down near Stone Poem instead of their intended Bellbird Wall at Pulpit Rock, and became stuck. They were rapped into the valley by rescuers, from where they were all winched out chopper.

Personally, I'm glad that these rescue were not more serious, or had developed into more serious accidents. Many thanks indeed to the great work by Polair and the Police and Ambulance rescue services.

So does anyone have more info on these --- and what can we all learn from them?