MOUNT SHASTA — A 31-year-old woman survived a 1,500-foot fall down Mount Shasta in California on Sunday. She was later removed from the mountain by the California Highway Patrol and taken to Mercy Medical Center Mount Shasta for medical care.

The fall occurred from approximately 13,000 feet to 11,500 feet. The woman sustained a suspected ankle fracture and additional injuries consistent with the fall. Rescuers reported finding the woman alert and "in good spirits."

Search and rescue efforts started around noon on Sunday after Lead Climbing Ranger Nick Meyers received an alert from the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue coordinator. The rescue operation included three climbing rangers from the U.S. Forest Service and assistance from the California Highway Patrol. Initial helicopter searches were limited by cloud cover.

One ranger ascended part of the mountain on foot to reach the injured woman. Additionally, one member of the woman's climbing party and a fourth climber who stopped to assist both helped carry rescue equipment. Climbing rangers and other party members lowered the woman in a rescue litter to Lake Helen. A CHP helicopter then hoisted her from Lake Helen at approximately 5:30 p.m.

The woman and her climbing party were ascending Mount Shasta along the Avalanche Gulch route, specifically the Left of Heart variation. Officials have not identified the climber. Mount Shasta is a stratovolcano, holding the second-highest peak in the Cascades. The Avalanche Gulch route involves a 7,000-foot vertical ascent.

Why It Matters

The U.S. Forest Service said the incident "serves as an important reminder that Mount Shasta is a high-altitude mountaineering environment, not a hike." The agency stated that "experienced climbers can encounter rapidly ranging weather, steep snow and ice, rockfall, and hazardous fall conditions." The Mount Shasta Avalanche Center also detailed that Avalanche Gulch "is steep and rigorous requiring crampons, a mountain axe, helmet, and basic snow travel skills" and features "steep snow and ice, rock fall, and weather extremes." The woman was climbing as part of a group of three novices at the time of the fall.