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Rescue crews have successfully brought an ice climber off a cliff in Little Cottonwood Canyon after he fell and broke his ankle.
Hiker David Deakin, 47, smiled and sounded like he was doing well as he was loaded into an ambulance. "Fell about 15 feet," he told us.
He and his friend Blake Christensen, both from Tremonton, were climbing up a frozen waterfall area known as the Great White Icicles. It's located at about 5500 East in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Christensen says Deakin's foot got caught in a safety device as he fell.
"We just went through scenarios, went through options. Luckily, we had a cell phone with us," Christensen said.
The two called for help. It took rescuers about five hours to climb the steep, icy cliffs and then get Deakin safely back down.
"We had water, we had food. Luckly we had lunches. We stayed warm, and everything was under control," Christensen said.
Christensen says the two are experienced climbers, but this was their first time climbing in this area.
E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com
