Moment climber clinging to ledge 260ft up mountain with no rope pulls out his phone after sparking huge rescue mission

THIS is the shocking moment a climber foolishly pulls out their phone while stranded on a tiny ledge 260ft up a mountain. Astonishing footage shows the daredevil perched precariously on the tiny ledge on Mount Yonah in Georgia after scaling it without any equipment. A foolhardy climber became stuck on the side of a mountain Credit: Jam Press/White County Public Safety The climber was left stranded 260ft up a mountain Credit: Jam Press Mountain rescue were forced to rappel down to the stricken individual Credit: Jam Press/White County Public Safety Emergency crews quickly deployed a drone to locate the climber on the mountain’s west face, around 260ft above the ground. A firefighter then rappelled down the sheer rock face towards the stranded climber. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Working alongside colleagues operating an intricate rope system, he was able to secure the climber before helping them back to safety. The entire rescue was completed around 42 minutes after crews arrived at the scene. Footage of the incident shared on social media triggered a furious reaction Credit: Jam Press/White County Public Safety Mountain rescue took less than an hour to retrieve the man Credit: Jam Press/White County Public Safety Officials said the drone was “instrumental” in quickly locating the climber and helping rescuers reach them. By some miracle, the climber escaped without injury. However, their decision to free climb without ropes has sparked fury online. Viewers were also left baffled by footage appearing to show the climber using their phone while sitting on the tiny ledge hundreds of feet above the ground. Most read in The Sun Footage of the dramatic rescue shared online prompted a flood of comments from users questioning the climber. One person said: “That person was super lucky! Great job on the rescue.” Another replied: “The word you were looking for was ‘foolish’. “They were climbing without ropes and put others in danger. I climb here weekly and have no words for someone that did this.” Another added: “Great job to everyone involved!” A third person wrote: “Free climbing with a backpack and trainers instead of climbing shoes. What was bro thinking?” Others compared the climber to free-soloing legend Alex Honnold, who is famous for climbing huge rock faces without ropes. One person joked: “Dude, you’re not Alex Honnold! Free Solo is not for mere mortals.” Another wrote: “Don’t climb when you aren’t a climber! Who knows what you are doing! Don’t free climb unless your name is Alex Honnold.” Despite the online criticism, the rescue ended without further incident, with crews safely bringing the climber back down. White County Public Safety praised the emergency personnel involved for their rapid response. Comment now