A climber from San Jose survived a perilous 500-foot fall on Mount Shasta and was later rescued after crawling to a remote cabin. The unnamed climber attempted to glissade, a controlled slide down a snow slope, down a cliff on the active volcano Thursday evening.
Losing control, the individual tumbled 500 feet down the mountainside. With a non-functional phone and severe foot injuries, the climber spent the night crawling down the mountain. His feet became so swollen that he had to remove his boots.
Friends became concerned when they could not reach him and reported him missing. Search and rescue teams began their efforts around 2 p.m. on Friday. However, the climber managed to reach Horse Camp Cabin, several miles down the mountain.
A hiker discovered the individual at the cabin and alerted rescuers. The injured climber was airlifted to a hospital. A photograph showed him limping to a helicopter with assistance from two helpers.
Mount Shasta, the fifth-largest peak in California, is a challenging 14,000-foot summit. Officials issued several recommendations for climbers following this incident.
Officials advise climbers to inform friends of their plans. In this case, the climber's friends traveled from the Bay Area to assist in the search.
Climbers are also cautioned to plan their summit attempts to be completed by noon, significantly earlier than the time of the incident.
Furthermore, authorities recommend climbers be thoroughly familiar with their chosen route and not depend solely on GPS devices or mobile phones for navigation. The San Jose climber, notably, had no map during his descent.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office expressed gratitude to the USFS Climbing Rangers, SAR volunteers, the CHP Helicopter team, and the hiker who located the missing individual and notified authorities.