An injured climber was airlifted from Capitol Peak early Saturday morning after continuing towards the summit while their partner stayed behind.

According to a Facebook post, the two climbers reached the Capitol-Daly saddle, then decided to separate, with one staying behind and the other continuing to the summit. The climbers agreed to meet back at the saddle within five hours, but the injured climber did not return within the timeframe.

The climber who did not continue on to the summit descended when their partner did not return within the scheduled time frame. The Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch got the 911 call at around 6:52 p.m.

Mountain Rescue Aspen was able to make phone contact with the injured climber, getting critical information and developing a search strategy. MRA

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