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A free climber who called 911 after becoming stranded on a Georgia cliff face was rescued Tuesday by a firefighter who rappelled down to reach him.
The climber, who hasn’t been identified by authorities, was stuck on the west face of Mount Yonah, a 3,166-foot mountain ridge in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in North Georgia.
According to White County Public Safety officials, the man called 911 at around 7 p.m. to report that he was unable to safely climb up or down the mountain.
Authorities used a drone to locate the man, who was standing on a 20″ by 20″ ledge approximately 260 feet up the mountain.
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White County firefighter Will Roper maneuvers underneath the free climber, who was stranded on Georgia’s Mount Yonah on the night of Aug. 25, 2026. (White County Public Safety)
White County firefighter Will Roper rappelled down the mountain to reach the man. Drone video showed Roper maneuvering beneath him before securing him in a harness and clipping him to the rope. The climber was then hoisted to the top of the mountain.
The entire rescue operation took about 42 minutes, officials said.
Roper told FOX 5 Atlanta said this was the first time he’s had to rescue someone on a mountain.
Firefighter Will Roper goes over the edge of Mount Yonah on Aug. 25 to rescue a stranded climber. (White County Public Safety)
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“I’ve done a lot with dummies and a lot with other firefighters in training, but that’s the first time that I’ve ever done it, kind of in the heat of the moment with a live subject,” Roper said.
“It was a little nerve-racking going over the edge,” he added.
Roper said the climber was strikingly calm, telling FOX 5 he jokingly asked him: “Have you been rescued before? You’re pretty good at this.”
Will Roper and the free climber are seen on the west face of Mount Yonah during the Aug. 25 rescue operation. (White County Public Safety)
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The climber told Roper that he had experience with Mount Yonah but simply picked the wrong route and got stuck.
“I’ve been on kind of a high since then, just to have the first rescue,” Roper said, adding that he was glad to be able to help someone using his technical training.
