PORTLAND, Oregon — Crews rescued an injured climber who fell near the summit of Mount Hood Saturday afternoon.
The 43-year-old woman was descending the South Side route of the mountain when ice fell and hit her around 4 p.m., the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said. The woman wasn't able to move due to her injuries.
Witnesses called 911 and used their own gear to keep the woman warm for several hours until search and rescue teams were able to reach her. Rescues used rope systems to move the woman across the Mount Hood crater to the Hogsback snow ridge, then a Timberline snowcat took her to the parking lot. The woman was then taken to a local hospital.
American Medical Response's Reach and Treat team, Portland Mountain Rescue (PMR), Mountain Wave Emergency Communications and the Oregon Department of Emergency Management helped with the rescue.
PMR said temperatures warming up rapidly can cause rock and ice to fall from the steeper upper mountain.
"Avoid climbing the upper mountain later in the day when the weather is warm and sunny, as these conditions are conducive to rock and ice fall," said Paige Baugher with PMR. "Instead, ascend and descend in the early morning, when the upper mountain is not in the sun and temperatures remain well below freezing."
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