2 climbers rescued from Mt. Shasta after surviving avalanche
Two experienced climbers were caught in an avalanche and had to be rescued from more than 12,000 ft. up the face of Mt. Shasta in Northern California, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.
The two climbers were highly skilled mountaineers and had intended to summit the mountain, which towers close to 14,200 ft., and snowboard down a route on the south face during the final weekend of April.
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The sheriff’s office said it received a call just past noon on April 27 from a climber who said he was stranded at 12,200 ft. with a broken femur after surviving an avalanche.
The avalanche happened at around 13,000 ft. and took both climbers down about 1,000 ft., with the second climber injuring his knee.
A rescue crew was assembled with the sheriff’s office and the U.S. Forest Service, along with help from a California Highway Patrol helicopter and professional mountain guide volunteers.
The weather did not allow for the aircraft to land near the climbers, so the rescue team began the trek on foot, the sheriff’s office said.
Eventually, helicopters were able to land about 3,500 ft. below where the climbers were, and rescuers were dropped off and were able to reach the climbers at around 6:20 p.m., where they began to treat their injuries.
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The sheriff’s office said the climber with the broken femur had signs of frostbite and hypothermia, while the other climber just had an injury to his knee.
The crew spent the next four hours helping the climber with a broken femur descend 6,000 ft., while the second climber was able to self-rescue and snowboard to the Bunny Flats trailhead.
Pictures shared by the sheriff’s office show the rescue crew as it headed up the mountain and when they were able to reach an ambulance.
The rescue operation finished around midnight and no members of the crew were injured.
The sheriff’s office said the ordeal was a reminder that even highly skilled mountaineers can still be overpowered by the hazards of the mountain conditions.
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