Climber falls, 7 stranded on Oregon’s Mount Hood

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Rescuers scrambled to Oregon’s tallest peak Tuesday after a climber fell several hundred feet and seven others were stranded, authorities said.

Russell Gubele of Mountain Wave Search and Rescue said he was unable to release information about the climber’s condition. He said it’s unclear how far the climber fell, with reports varying from several hundred feet to 1,000 feet (304 meters).

KOIN-TV reports that video taken from a helicopter showed people performing CPR on the injured climber, who’s believed to be a man.

The stranded climbers were on the Hogsback area near the summit of the 11,240-foot (3.4 kilometers) mountain about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Portland.

“I don’t know that any advice has been given (to them) yet,” Gubele said. “We have to get some folks on the scene to do some assessing.”

Mount Hood is a popular climbing site that has seen dozens of accidents and fatalities over the years. Thousands climb it each year, mostly in the spring.

The peak is notorious for loose ice and rocks in warm weather. The sun has been out this week, and the temperature was well above freezing Tuesday at Timberline Lodge. The temperature was right around freezing at the spot where the climber fell, Gubele said.

“This is the kind of weather conditions and the time of year where you often get falling ice, falling rocks and problems,” Gubele said. “It sounds like the conditions up there are very unsafe right now.”

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office coordinated the search that included several rescue groups and an Oregon Army National Guard helicopter.