Busy Day: Officials Rescue Two People in a Matter of Hours on Mount Shasta

It was a busy day for search and rescue officials on Mount Shasta on Thursday, with two separate incidents bringing multiple rescue crews to the mountain over a matter of four hours.

The first incident occurred at 10:30 am, when the Siskiyou Sheriff’s Office received a call about a climber in his 30’s that had broken his ankle near Lake Helen just below 11,000 feet. The CHP – Norther Division Air Operations deployed its H-14 to the scene, where they were able to extract the hiker and transport him to Mercy Mount Shasta for treatment.

The second incident, occurring around 2 pm, happened when a hiker fell into a crevasse on the Whitney Glacier, around 13,000 feet elevation. Once again, CHP – Northern Division Air Operations responded to the scene with their H-14 and H-16 helicopters, where they found the hiker and hoisted him out of the area. He was also transported to Mercy Mount Shasta.

Following the busy day on the mountain, the Siskiyou County Sheriff took the opportunity to reinforce some safety tips for Mount Shasta.

“This is a good time to reinforce some important safety messages to those visitors or area residents who plan to climb or conduct recreational activities on Mount Shasta,” said Sheriff Jon Lopey.

“When climbing the mountain, always get the most current information on weather and conditions by checking with the USFS rangers. Stop by the Ranger Station in Mt. Shasta, and check the web page www.shastaavalanche.org.  You’ll find a wealth of information to help you stay safe, and includes information about permit requirements, weather forecasts, safety tips, and clothing and equipment recommendations for Mount Shasta climbs and other outdoor activities on the mountain.”