Teen climber rescued after fall on Oregon’s Mount Hood

MOUNT HOOD, Ore. – A 16-year-old mountain climber has been rescued after he fell 500 feet (152 metres) on Mount Hood Monday and hurt his leg, authorities said.

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said a call came in at about 9 a.m. about a boy who fell while climbing with a group.

Rescue teams reached the teen at about 1 p.m. Monday at an elevation of about 10,500 feet (3,200 metres). The sheriff’s office says rescuers put a splint on his leg and said he was in stable condition. It took rescuers until nearly 5 p.m. to bring him down to Timberline Lodge where an ambulance was waiting.

At 11,239 feet (3,426 metres), Hood is the highest mountain in Oregon and one of the most-climbed mountains in the world, according to the sheriff’s office. More than 10,000 people make the technical ascent to Hood’s summit each year.