ASPEN, Colo. -- Three brothers had to be rescued from a 14er near Aspen after a snow and hail storm made the rocky route slippery and dangerous, officials said.
The group called for help Wednesday around 4:28 p.m.
They said they had climbed the regular route of South Maroon Peak.
"However, on their descent they got off-route," Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said.
Then a storm moved in.
Two ground teams from Mountain Rescue Aspen hiked in while two people with Mountain Rescue Aspen used a High Altitude Aviation Training Site (HAATS) Blackhawk helicopter.
The climbers were spotted from the helicopter about 30 yards off route, at about 13,000 feet.
When rescuers reached the brothers, they checked them out, then hiked out with them.
"The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office reminds everyone using the backcountry to allow plenty of time for their activity and to make sure they were appraised of the weather forecast and conditions in the backcounty," officials said.
The brothers are from Kansas City.
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