Mt. Hood Climber Rescued After 600-Foot Fall As Busy Season Continues

OREGON CITY, OR — The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office rescued a man who fell about 600 feet into the Devil's Kitchen area of Mt. Hood last month, the office said Monday.

The unidentified man, who was rescued just after 8 a.m. May 24, was taken to an undisclosed local hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and released, according to the sheriff's office.

It was the ninth rescue of the traditional climbing season, which lasts from April through July, the sheriff's office said. Rescue teams usually go out on two or three rescues a season, officials said.

They attributed the increase in rescues to a higher number of climbers who are inexperienced or not well prepared, according to the sheriff's office.

The man had summited the mountain and was heading back down at the Pearl Gates/Hogsback area when he had an issue with one of his boots, the sheriff's office said. When he tried to fix the issue, he lost his grip on his ice ax and started to tumble, coming to rest in the snow about 600 feet below, the sheriff's office said.

Several climbers saw him fall, called 911 and set off emergency SOS beacons while others made their way to the fallen climber with food, water and medical aid, the sheriff's office said.

Rescuers reached the fallen climber around 1 p.m., stabilized him and got him back to Timberline Lodge around 4 p.m., from where he was taken to a local hospital, according to the sheriff's office.

Responders included rescuers from the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, the Hood River Sheriff's Office and rescue climbers from the Hood River Crag Rats and Portland Mountain Rescue — two volunteer groups with around 160 accredited rescue climbers between them.