A 29-year-old man was take to the hospital to be treated for injuries after falling approximately 40 feet while ice climbing near Bridal Veil Falls, Utah. KSL reports the incident just after 11 a.m. on Monday. Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue’s Corey Cluff said the fall occurred on a climb called The Finger of Fate:
“An accomplished lead climber was just about to the top of the pitch where he was at, and he had a foot give way on him and he fell, landed on a ledge, and then was caught by his ropes system.”
When Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue and the Provo Fire Department arrived on scene they found the climber in obvious pain:
“Definite arm injuries, some back issues, some head injuries, things like that.”
The area the man landed was precarious and teams worked quickly to get him staged for a life flight:
“We had some sizable pieces of rock and ice come down, and they’re coming down from a couple hundred feet above. We could get one of the rescue specialists from DPS to drop down on a hoist operation, and then were able to package him up and lift him up from there.”
At approximately 1:45 p.m., the man was hoisted out by the helicopter and taken to the base of Bridal Veil Falls:
“Because of where they were, if we’d have had to carry him out, it would have taken us several hours at least” –Sgt. Spencer Cannon
He was then transported in an ambulance to Utah Valley Hospital. No cause for the fall has been released.
Utah County Sheriff’s Office Statement:
At 11:09 AM a 29 year old man fell 40’ while ice climbing near Bridal Veil Falls. He sustained a broken arm and back injury. Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue with Provo Fire & Rescue and Utah Department of Public Safety Helicopter got him down and an ambulance took him to Utah Valley Hospital. 
