The 1960’s saw the group expand to 70+ members. In 1962, an Army helicopter with RMRG rescuers aboard crashed while responding to another plane crash site. All the helicopter passengers survived the crash. In 1969, RMRG assisted with a dramatic winter search for a crashed plane (NTSB Report) on the Spanish Peaks in southern CO. No survivors were found. The 1960's also saw RMRG perform numerous winter and summer rescues on Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. In the 60's, development was started on the RMRG backpackable cable winch system, which was used until its retirement in 1999.
1969 - Rocky Mountain National Park Practice Evacuation on "The Diamond"
Pictured left is 'The Diamond' and the summit of Longs Peak (14,255 ft.) in Rocky Mountain National Park. The face of the Diamond is 1000' of vertical granite with an additional 500 ft. of high angle rock below the base of the upper cliff. Since the Diamond was first climbed in 1961, climbers and rescuers wondered how an evacuation from the rock face would be accomplished. In 1969, RMRG put theory to the test. The practice required a mid-wall loading of a patient and subsequent vertical evacuation to the snow field below the lower cliff. Transporting 3000 ft. of goldline rope into the operational area involved 36 rescuers and some pack horses. The practice was one of the longest vertical evacuations done to that date.