A 31-year-old female climber suffered a serious fall Sunday afternoon while ascending the Left of Heart variation of the Avalanche Gulch route on Mount Shasta, prompting a multi-agency rescue effort.
The climber, part of a group of three novice climbers, fell approximately 1,500 vertical feet, dropping from around 13,000 feet to roughly 11,500 feet before coming to rest on the mountain.
At approximately 12:00pm, Lead Climbing Ranger Nick Meyers was notified of the incident by Siskiyou County Sheriff Search and Rescue. Three U.S. Forest Service Climbing Rangers responded with assistance from the California Highway Patrol.
Cloud cover limited the initial helicopter insertion to 50/50 Flat. Climbing Ranger Falconer then ascended on foot to reach the patient, aided by a member of the climbing party who carried rescue equipment. A fourth climber who happened to be in the area also stopped to help and stayed with the group throughout the rescue.
The patient was found alert and in good spirits, with a suspected fractured right ankle and additional injuries from the fall. After being stabilized and packaged in a SKED rescue litter, rangers Falconer, Jordan and MacArther, along with the climbing party, lowered her to Lake Helen.
At approximately 5:30pm, a California Highway Patrol helicopter extracted the patient from Lake Helen and flew her to Mercy Medical Center Mount Shasta for further care.
Officials are using the incident as a reminder that Mount Shasta is a high-altitude mountaineering environment, not a hike. Even experienced climbers can face rapidly changing weather, steep snow and ice, rockfall and hazardous fall conditions.
Before attempting a summit, climbers should honestly assess their experience and conditioning, carry proper mountaineering gear such as an ice axe and crampons, check current weather and route conditions, and climb with experienced partners while having an emergency plan in place.