Climber Survives 500-Foot Fall in Sierras

A California climber is alive after a 500-foot fall that set off one of the trickiest helicopter rescues the High Sierra has seen, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The man and his brother were traversing the remote western side of 13,141-foot Mount Baxter in Sequoia National Park on April 16 when a patch of snow collapsed beneath him, sending him down a steep, rocky gully, authorities say. He landed on a tiny granite ledge at about 12,400 feet, with broken bones and another 30-foot drop below, leaving the pair stranded in subfreezing temperatures overnight.

With avalanche danger ruling out a nighttime ground rescue, the brothers used a Garmin satellite device to call for help. A California Highway Patrol helicopter launched the next morning from Southern California, picked up two Inyo County Search and Rescue volunteers, then fought gusty winds to hover above the ledge. With little room to work, a single rescuer was lowered 150 feet, stabilized the injured climber, and packaged him in a hoist sling for a tight, power-maxing extraction. The helicopter then shuttled back to retrieve the rescuer and the uninjured brother. Officials later said the men did most things right: they stayed calm, stayed put, and stayed together. See more at the Chronicle.