{"id":18525,"date":"2026-10-27T17:28:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T17:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=18525"},"modified":"2026-10-27T17:28:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T17:28:03","slug":"climber-rescued-from-whitehorse-ledge-in-new-hampshire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=18525","title":{"rendered":"Climber Rescued from Whitehorse Ledge in New Hampshire"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>A 30-year-old climber free soloing Whitehorse Ledge in New Hampshire was evacuated from a 500-foot slab by nine volunteer rescuers and state officials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$?--><template id=\"B:1\"\/><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">Volunteer climbers rescued a man from New Hampshire\u2019s Whitehorse Ledge on October 25, after he climbed roughly 500 feet without a rope<!-- --> (Photo: New Hampshire Fish and Game\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published October 27, 2026 10:40AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>A 30-year-old climber named William Carron was free soloing a route called Sliding Board on New Hampshire\u2019s Whitehorse Ledge on October 25 when he had to stop. Nearly 500 feet above the ground, he no longer felt comfortable climbing up or down.<\/p>\n<p>The incident sparked a dramatic rescue. Nine volunteer climbers helped Carron get back to the ground, according to a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NewHampshireOperationGameThief\/posts\/pfbid02M5PCo6MZj4vqJjxTu76QicHCY7bsupBSV7ZhfDSgjAgVxjfa7rswcnKdY49gr9Ftl\">Facebook post<\/a> from New Hampshire Fish and Game\u2019s Law Enforcement Division.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe climber had already done the hardest part of the route, but the rock is smooth granite with very little to hold on to,\u201d Sgt. Alex Lopashanski of the New Hampshire Fish and Game office told <em>Outside. <\/em>\u201cThat can make it hard to figure out where to put your hands and feet next.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2759052\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Climbers in helmets and harnesses handle ropes on Whitehorse Ledge\u2019s sloping granite face, with other climbers higher on the rock and autumn trees above.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2397\" height=\"1303\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2759052\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/new-hampshire-rrock-rescue_h.jpeg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/new-hampshire-rrock-rescue_h.jpeg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">Volunteer climbers rescued a man from New Hampshire\u2019s Whitehorse Ledge on October 25, after he climbed roughly 500 feet without a rope<\/span> (Photo: New Hampshire Fish and Game\/Courtesy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lopashanski coordinated the rescue from the ground.<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">\u201cI honestly believe it was within his ability,\u201d Lopashanski said. \u201cIt just wasn\u2019t the day for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sliding Board, in Hale\u2019s Location near North Conway in the White Mountains, is a multipitch route that climbers typically tackle with ropes and protective gear. Mountain Project\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mountainproject.com\/route\/105909834\/sliding-board\">description<\/a> of the route lists fixed bolts, belay anchors, and placements for removable protection.<\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\">\u201cThis particular person didn\u2019t have any gear with him because he was planning on going to the top. Obviously, this turned out to be a mistake,\u201d Lopashanski said.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_self\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.climbing.com\/travel\/best-slab-climbs-new-england\/?scope=initial\">Whitehorse Ledge<\/a> is known for its smooth, glacier-polished granite slabs, where obvious handholds can be hard to come by. Much of the climbing comes down to careful footwork and trusting your shoes to stick.<\/p>\n<p>That slick stone has caught seasoned climbers before. According to an <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/publications.americanalpineclub.org\/articles\/13201216263\">American Alpine Club<\/a> accident report in October 2021, an experienced guide slipped while climbing Sliding Board and broke an arm and a finger before his partner helped him descend.<\/p>\n<h2><b data-path-to-node=\"2,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"41\">Waiting It Out, 500 Feet Up<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Recognizing his limits on the unfamiliar rock, Carron climbed back down to a small, relatively level spot where he could stand and wait, Lopashanski said. Fish and Game learned of his situation shortly after 8 A.M, according to its October 26 release.<\/p>\n<p>When Lopashanski called to assess the situation, Carron told him he could wait there for hours.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had no equipment with him, so wasn\u2019t clipped in or anything. But he was totally calm about it,\u201d Lopashanski said.<\/p>\n<p>Help was close by. Lopashanski called Mountain Rescue Service, a volunteer team of climbers and guides that handles technical mountain rescues. The cliff is near a golf course parking lot, and the team was based nearby, he said.<\/p>\n<p>A total of nine team members climbed to Carron, secured him, and fixed ropes back to the cliff\u2019s base, according to Fish and Game. North Conway Fire and Rescue also responded to the call.<\/p>\n<p>Lopashanski described Carron\u2019s position as relatively easy for the skilled rescuers to reach. \u201cThey make it look easy because for them it kind of is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Carron and the entire rescue party were safely on the ground shortly before 10 A.M.<\/p>\n<h2><b data-path-to-node=\"6,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"52\">Who Pays for the Ride Down?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Getting safely to the ground is one thing, but in New Hampshire, the ride down can also come with an invoice. Under <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gc.nh.gov\/rsa\/html\/xviii\/206\/206-26-bb.htm\">state law<\/a>, Fish and Game can recover its reasonable response costs from people whose negligence made a rescue necessary.<\/p>\n<p><em>Outside<\/em> has previously reported on how officials assess preparedness when recommending those bills.<\/p>\n<p>Carron will not be on the hook, however. A Fish and Game representative confirmed to <i data-path-to-node=\"2,2\" data-index-in-node=\"85\">Outside<\/i> that the department does not plan to seek reimbursement for\u00a0 the October 25 rescue. The agency did not specify the reasoning behind the decision.<\/p>\n<p><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/exploration-survival\/whitehorse-ledge-climber-rescue\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A 30-year-old climber free soloing Whitehorse Ledge in New Hampshire was evacuated from a 500-foot slab by nine volunteer rescuers and state officials. Volunteer climbers rescued a man from New Hampshire\u2019s Whitehorse Ledge on October 25, after he climbed roughly 500 feet without a rope (Photo: New Hampshire Fish and Game\/Courtesy) Published October 27, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}