16-year-old rock climber survives a 500-foot plunge on Mount Hood, rescuers say

A 16-year-old rock climber scaling Oregon’s Mount Hood made it to the Pearly Gates before plunging 500 feet into Devil’s Kitchen on Monday, The Oregonian reports.

The lucky teen survived the fall, suffering only a leg injury, but had to be rescued by Clackamas County crews, KCPQ reported. Rescuers had to hike four hours through rugged terrain to reach Devil’s Kitchen, about 10,500 feet up the mountain.

“This is a mountain, it’s a technical mountain — this isn’t a Sunday stroll,” said Lt. Brian Jensen with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, according to the station. “It’s inherently dangerous and you know, going up there, you need to have the proper skill set and the proper equipment to do so safely. Doing so with anything less than that can, it can be dangerous.”

The teen, identified as Gurbaz Singh, traveled to Oregon from Canada with friends to climb Mount Hood, KATU reported. He slipped on ice just below the summit.

“He thought he was going to stop somewhere, and he was trying to arrest the fall with his ax, but it just didn’t happen because he was rolling so fast that he couldn’t do it,” said his father, Rishamdeep Singh, according to the station.

Rescue crews brought the teen off the mountain about 4 p.m., KGW reported. They were notified of the fall at 9 a.m.

Rishamdeep Singh said he and Gurbaz plan to return to Mount Hood once he recovers to reach the summit, KATU reported.

“Thanks to all the search volunteers who helped with this successful operation today,” the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Twitter.

Standing 11,240 feet, Mount Hood is Oregon’s tallest mountain and is a hotspot for climbers. It’s about 50 miles southeast of Portland.

This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 9:51 AM with the headline "16-year-old rock climber survives a 500-foot plunge on Mount Hood, rescuers say."