Climber tumbles hundreds of feet and gets stuck on mountain for 10 hours, rescuers say
An injured climber spent 10 hours trapped on a popular Oregon mountain after tumbling hundreds of feet, deputies said.
The 36-year-old woman fell at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, on Mount Hood, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
She was descending from the summit when she slipped near the Old Chute, a difficult route on the mountain’s South Side, deputies said.
“It averages around 40-45 degrees, maybe give or take 5 degrees,” climbing site Summit Post reported. “A fall on the traverse could possibly end up with you in a fumarole.”
A rescue team already on the mountain called 911 after seeing the woman fall and gave her initial medical attention, deputies said.
Deputies said the woman was kept warm for about seven hours as rescuers gathered the “necessary resources” to get her off the mountain.
Rescuers used complex rope systems to get her in a rescue basket before she was later taken to a parking lot.
She reached the parking lot at 9:30 p.m., about 10 hours after she had fallen, and was taken to a hospital.
Mount Hood is an active volcano about 70 miles southeast of Portland. It is 11,239 feet tall and is the highest mountain peak in Oregon.
The South Side is a popular route to the summit of Mount Hood.
The climb typically takes one day and is about 8 miles with an elevation gain of 5,235 feet, according to The Mountaineers.
Climbers can face multiple dangers during the trek, including ice and rock fall, crevasses and avalanches.
This story was originally published November 28, 2023 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Climber tumbles hundreds of feet and gets stuck on mountain for 10 hours, rescuers say."
