HOOD RIVER COUNTY, Ore. — Search and rescue crews rescued a climber in distress from the summit of Mount Hood on Saturday, the Hood River County Sheriff's Office said.
The sheriff's office got a call around 9:50 a.m. Saturday that a 27-year-old man from Eugene was unable to descend the mountain because his equipment was failing. He was climbing alone.
The sheriff's office said a search and rescue coordinator activated the Crag Rats Mountain Rescue team, which had two team members already climbing the mountain with two ski mountaineers. The group was at the Hogsback snow ridge — just below the summit — when the rescue call came in.
“Fortuitously we were near the summit, and prepared for a rescue,” said Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg, a member of the Crag Rats.
Portland Mountain Rescue also had two teams on the mountain ready for rescues.
The Crag Rats crew climbed to the summit and found the climber, then roped him down the Old Chute and met up with the Portland Mountain Rescue team there. The two teams helped the climber with food and water, then descended the mountain to Timberline Lodge. The hiker was uninjured and in good shape, the sheriff's office said.
Mount Hood is one of the most-climbed peaks in the world and does not require climbers have permits or guides, but despite its popularity it is a challenging and technical climb. A 63-year-old Washington man died on the mountain last spring after falling 500 feet.
"It’s important to have mountaineering boots, crampons and an ice axe and know how to use them," said Leif Bergstrom, a member of the Crag Rats and a mountain guide. Bergstrom also encouraged inexperienced climbers to climb with a professional mountain guide.