Jumped into Crevasse, and then Later Fell in Camp While Urinating, California, Mount Shasta, Hotlum Glacier and in Camp

Publication Year: 2008.

JUMPED INTO CREVASSE‚ AND THEN LATER FELL IN CAMP WHILE URINATING

California, Mount Shasta, Hotlum Glacier and in Camp

On August 15, a 28-year-old male climber was hurt when he jumped into a shallow crevasse on the Hotlum Glacier at around 11,400 feet. His crampon caught his pant leg and resulted in a broken tibia.

He was transported by his climbing partners to camp and a Black Hawk came in to evacuate him in the evening. They were unable to hover, so a Chinook was ordered for the following morning.

That night, the injured climber fell when urinating and dislocated his shoulder. His trained team was able to relocate the shoulder and lower him the next morning to an appropriate landing zone at 950 feet. He was then transported to the Weed airport and then taken by vehicle to Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta.

Analysis

He was with an experienced trained team who were able to take care of his injuries and transport safely over the glacier and surrounding snowfields. All climbing parties on Mount Shasta should be prepared to handle their own emergencies and know who to call and what to do. (Source: Eric White, Climbing Ranger/Avalanche Specialist)

(Editor’s Note: There were very few climbing related incidents on Mount Shasta this year. As usual, however, there were several “lost/missing” cases and a few “party separated” cases. One curious piece of information is that there were 6,200 summit passes sold. This is not uncommon‚ but the important point is that of this total, not many would be considered climbers.)