Skip to main content
Emergency crews were back up on Mount Hood over the weekend coming to the aid of an injured climber, making it the fourth call for help there in a week.
On Saturday, a group equipped with snowshoes and microspikes was hiking along the Hogsback—the saddle formation on the south side of the peak—when one member of the party fell. That individual ended up sliding around 1,000 feet down the mountain on sun-cupped ice, which are bowl-shaped depressions with sharp ridges, and suffered numerous injuries.
Portland Mountain Rescue volunteers responded to the call for help and brought the hiker down in a toboggan.
The organization warns would-be climbers that once you get above approximately 6,000 feet, Hood’s terrain is incredibly rugged, and should only be tackled by trained mountaineers.
“Folks, the surface above the tree line is wind-scoured chicken heads, dinner plates and hard frozen sun cups,” Portland Mountain Rescue posted on its Facebook page. “It is not skiable, not hikeable and extremely dangerous. Stay off it unless you are prepared with the skills and equipment for those conditions.”
Related: Volunteer Rescuers Have Responded to Three Calls for Help on Mount Hood Over the Past Five Days