Shasta Climber Falls 1.5K Feet, Lives to Tell the Tale

One climber's attempt to summit Mount Shasta turned into a 1,500-foot plunge—and a rare survival story. Officials say the 31-year-old woman, part of a group of three "novice" climbers on the Avalanche Gulch route around 13,000 feet, tumbled down the steep face Sunday, sustaining a suspected broken ankle and other injuries. Clouds limited an initial helicopter search, forcing a climbing ranger to reach her on foot, aided by another member of her party and a bystander climber who helped haul rescue gear, per CBS News.

The woman was found conscious and "in good spirits," according to the US Forest Service. She was treated on scene, then carried down to Lake Helen in a rescue litter, KRCR reports. She was airlifted to a hospital from that location around 5:30pm, at least five and a half hours after rangers were first alerted to the situation, the outlet adds. Authorities later warned that Shasta is "a high-altitude mountaineering environment, not a hike," and that the steep Avalanche Gulch route requires "crampons, a mountain axe, helmet, and basic snow travel skills." (Another climber fatally fell some 2,000 feet from the mountain last fall.)