A 31-year-old novice climber survived a roughly 1,500-foot slide down California’s Mount Shasta after worsening weather forced rescuers to abandon plans for a direct helicopter rescue, sending climbing rangers scrambling up the mountain on foot before she could be flown to a hospital.

Rescue Efforts

The woman was climbing the Left of Heart variation of the popular Avalanche Gulch route Sunday with two other novice climbers when she slipped near the 13,000-foot elevation and ultimately came to rest roughly 1,500 vertical feet lower, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Cloud cover prevented a California Highway Patrol helicopter from reaching the injured climber directly, forcing the rescue to unfold in stages. The helicopter instead dropped U.S. Forest Service climbing rangers lower on Mount Shasta, where they hiked to the patient while the air crew waited for weather conditions to improve.

Once rangers stabilized the climber, they carefully lowered her by rescue litter to Lake Helen, where a CHP helicopter was finally able to land and fly her to Mercy Medical Center Mount Shasta at approximately 5:37 p.m.

Climbing Safety

Forest Service officials said the incident follows a familiar pattern seen during the latter part of Mount Shasta’s climbing season. Climbers are taught to perform a self-arrest with an ice axe after slipping, but novice climbers often struggle to execute the maneuver before picking up speed.

The Forest Service urges climbers to carry mountaineering equipment including an ice axe and crampons when conditions require, monitor changing weather and route conditions, climb with experienced partners and have an emergency plan before attempting the 14,179-foot volcano.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.