Overview
- A climber was pinned by a boulder estimated at 16,000 pounds near Timberline Lodge after a minor rockslide on Sunday, May 24, and bystanders could not move the rock.
- Clackamas Fire’s Technical Rescue Team led a multiagency response that included Hoodland Fire, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Mt. Hood Ski Patrol, Portland Mountain Rescue, PNW Search and Rescue, and the Hood River Crag Rats.
- Rescuers built a mechanical lift system using wedges and ropes and freed the conscious patient about two hours after the initial call, moving the person to a Life Flight helicopter around 12:30 p.m.
- Life Flight Network and Oregon Health & Science University activated a specialized field surgical team and pre‑staged medical equipment and helicopters so the patient could be flown to a Portland‑area hospital for further care.
- Mount Hood’s popular terrain carries known rockfall risks and this rescue highlights how regional mutual‑aid systems and urban search and rescue task forces are used to handle complex alpine emergencies.