PORTLAND (AP) — An Oregon National Guard helicopter has airlifted two climbers off Mount Hood after the two were injured in a fall, rescue officials said.
The two climbers, a male and a female, were taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for treatment, American Medical Response in Portland said.
The climbers were injured in a fall early Saturday near an area on the mountain known as the Hogsback, according to the Clackamas County sheriff’s office. A call for help was received just before 11 a.m., Deputy Ben Frazier said.
The male climber might have a broken femur; the female climber has two broken ankles, Frazier said.
A third climber, another male who was with them, made it down the mountain with help.
Weather conditions good
The climbers were on the popular south-side climbing route. Frazier said he did not know what caused the fall. Weather near the mountain was good Saturday: clear skies and sun. Hogsback is a snow ridge at about 10,000 feet elevation.
Members of Portland Mountain Rescue, a volunteer search and rescue group, and American Medical Response reached the injured climbers and helped stabilize them.
Rescuers and paramedics relocated the injured climbers to a nearby area that’s easier to reach by helicopter, which plucked both climbers off the mountain with the rotors still turning, American Medical Response said.
The sheriff’s office says the names of the climbers will not be released at this time.