Coleford firefighters hauled an injured climber 90ft up a rock face during a night rescue at Symonds Yat.
The station's rope rescue team found the 52-year-old man unconscious and suffering from neck and spinal injuries after he fell around 7m from a rock face at Bowler's Hole.
Two fire crews from the town were called out at 8.30pm on Tuesday who were backed up during the two-hour rescue operation by fire crews from Whitchurch, along with paramedics from Great Western and West Midlands ambulance services.
Brian Burns, station manager at Gloucester headquarters, said: "It was a difficult rescue in arduous conditions and the Coleford team did a fantastic job. They are one of the busiest rope rescue teams in the UK."