Mount Shasta Climber Crawls Through Night After 500-Foot Fall
The injured San Jose man reached Horse Camp before being airlifted to a hospital.
AT A GLANCE
Climber: Man from San Jose, California.
Route: Avalanche Gulch on Mount Shasta.
Fall: Approximately 500 feet while attempting to glissade.
Self-rescue: Crawled through the night to Horse Camp after removing his boots because of painful swelling.
Search: Mount Shasta Climbing Rangers, Siskiyou County SAR, and CHP helicopter crews responded.
Outcome: Located Friday afternoon and airlifted to a hospital.
MOUNT SHASTA, Calif. — An overdue Mount Shasta climber was found alive Friday after authorities say he slid roughly 500 feet during his descent, suffered significant injuries, and crawled through the night before reaching Horse Camp.
The climber, a man from San Jose, had reached the summit at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office and Shasta-Trinity National Forest. His cellphone died shortly afterward.
When friends were unable to reach him the following day, they reported him overdue and traveled from the Bay Area to help with the search.
Mount Shasta Climbing Rangers, Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue volunteers, and a California Highway Patrol helicopter crew began searching the Avalanche Gulch area around 2 p.m. Friday.
About two hours later, a hiker entered the Horse Camp Cabin and found the missing climber, then alerted climbing rangers.
The climber told rescuers he had attempted to glissade down the mountain when he lost control and slid approximately 500 feet.
He suffered several significant lacerations and injuries to his feet. As swelling and pain worsened, he removed his boots and continued down Avalanche Gulch, crawling through the night until he reached Horse Camp.
After rescuers evaluated his injuries, he was airlifted from Horse Camp to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Authorities did not release additional information about his condition.
Officials said the rescue also underscored several common Mount Shasta safety precautions, including telling someone your route and expected return time, allowing enough daylight for the descent, and carrying navigation options that do not depend solely on a cellphone.
Mount Shasta Trailhead: Mount Shasta rises above the trailhead area as search crews responded to an overdue climber on the Avalanche Gulch route. Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.
Climbing officials recommend a noon turnaround time on Mount Shasta, even for climbers who have not yet reached the summit.
The Sheriff’s Office and Shasta-Trinity National Forest also credited the climber’s friends for quickly reporting him overdue, the hiker who found him at Horse Camp, and the search and aviation crews involved in the response.
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