A climber injured in a rockslide near Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood was rescued Sunday morning after emergency crews worked for hours to free the person from beneath a massive boulder estimated to weigh 16,000 pounds.
According to Clackamas Fire, the rescue operation began around 10:20 a.m. on May 24, when the agency’s Technical Rescue Team responded to a mutual aid request from Hoodland Fire. Rescue units traveled to the scene by foot and snow cat after reports that a climber had become trapped beneath a large rock during a minor rockslide.
When rescuers arrived, they found the climber pinned under the boulder. A large group of bystanders had already attempted to move the rock but were unsuccessful. Despite the severity of the situation, the climber remained conscious and was able to communicate with rescuers.
Clackamas Fire established a unified command with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and Hoodland Fire as crews began a complex technical rescue operation in difficult alpine conditions.
Specialized rescue personnel constructed a lifting system designed to raise the massive boulder while additional responders coordinated with Life Flight Network and Oregon Health & Science University to prepare for advanced medical treatment in the field if necessary.
Life Flight dispatched one helicopter directly to the rescue scene while a second helicopter was sent to OHSU to transport a specialized surgical team and equipment. Medical personnel at OHSU rapidly assembled emergency surgical supplies and loaded them onto the aircraft as rescuers continued working to free the climber.
At approximately 12:30 p.m., just as the second helicopter prepared to land, the Technical Rescue Team successfully removed the boulder and freed the patient. The injured climber was then transported by helicopter to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Officials said the climber is expected to recover.
The successful rescue involved coordination among numerous agencies, including Clackamas Fire, Hoodland Fire, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Timberline Lodge and Mt. Hood Ski Patrol, Life Flight Network, OHSU, Portland Mountain Rescue, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, American Medical Response, and the Hood River Crag Rats.
Clackamas Fire officials said the agency’s Technical Rescue Team is a highly trained Urban Search and Rescue task force capable of rapid deployment for complex rescue incidents throughout the region.
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