Two hikers have been rescued during a complex 24-hour mission in remote terrain in the Snowy Mountains, which involved crews navigating 350-metre cliffs.
The two young women were hiking in the New South Wales back country at Watsons Crags when they became stranded on a ledge on Tuesday evening and called for help.
NSW State Emergency Services (SES) Snowy Monaro local commander Chief Inspector Malika Bailey said crews were working against the clock, with nightfall approaching and “atrocious” weather conditions ahead.
“We had [wind] gusts up to 80 kilometres,” Ms Bailey said.
“We had horizontal rain and heavy rain. We had strong winds. We had some lightning … so we had significant weather concerns.”
Crews worked through the night. (Supplied: NSW State Emergency Service)
A crew of 14 specialist alpine search and rescue volunteers travelled kilometres by vehicle and carried equipment on foot, before having to undertake a 350-metre vertical descent to rescue the hikers.
The crews had to descend the cliffs with a rope before making their way back up after rescuing the hikers.
“It was far away, and it was significant technical work,” Ms Bailey said.
“When we receive such a call, we have a significant amount of gear and organisation to prepare.
“This can be life-threatening [work].”
A challenging rescue
Ms Bailey said her team was well used to operating in the unusual terrain of the NSW alps, but this was one of the more complex rescues they had undertaken.
“Mother Nature is very cheeky,” she said.
“We always prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
The SES crews worked for 24 hours to rescue the hikers. (Supplied: NSW State Emergency Service)
“We don’t go out there with just plan A and expect that it’s going to work beautifully.”
Ms Bailey said it was challenging to manage the fatigue of crews, who persisted through the conditions.
The hikers also had “sufficient gear”, including food, water and suitable clothing with them, and were prepared for a multi-day trek before running into trouble.
The SES managed to bring the two women to safety last night, about 24 hours after the initial call for help.
There were no injuries reported from the hikers or the search and rescue crews.
The crews faced challenging weather conditions, including fog. (Supplied: NSW State Emergency Service)
Rugged, unrelenting terrain
Watsons Crags is a remote area in the back country of the Snowy Mountains, located east of Geehi in Kosciuszko National Park.
Geehi is the location where 23-year-old hiker Hadi Nazari spent two weeks lost in the wilderness at the start of 2025, which was then labelled the most rugged terrain in the state.
Back country ski and hiking guide Doug Chatten said the unrelenting environment was not for inexperienced hikers.
“Watsons Crags is on the watershed of the highest part of the [main range of the] Great Dividing Range,” he said.
Doug Chatten is a tour guide in the NSW Snowy Mountains. (Supplied: Doug Chatten)
“Summer, winter, 24-7, it’s just an unforgivable place that you just want to have all your ducks in a line when you’re in that area.”
With over 30 years experience hiking and skiing in the region, Mr Chatten said the rescue mission was a timely reminder for hikers to prepare adequately before entering the NSW alps.
“It’s unrelenting, and it’s all steep,” he said.
“If you’re not comfortable in that sort of an area — even if your skills are good — you can be a bit overcome by the exposure
“And you can find yourself in a very uncomfortable situation very easily.”