Hood River County Sheriff’s Office
Maddie Capron
Mon, January 31, 2022, 12:35 PM·2 min read
A climber trying to make it down Mount Hood slid several hundred feet into a volcanic pit in rock that vents toxic gases, Oregon officials said.
George Stevens, a 28-year-old from Idaho, fell into the Devils Kitchen fumarole on Jan. 26, the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said. He had serious injuries.
Stevens and two friends started their climb “late in the day,” deputies said.
“When they reached the steep Hogsback snow ridge on their descent, the surface was slick with frozen ice,” deputies said in a news release. “The climber attempted to snowboard down from this ridge, but lost his edge and slid out of control.”
Stevens fell into the fumarole hundreds of feet below and onto its rocky bottom. A fumarole is a pit in volcanic rock that vents toxic gases below.
“(It) melts large cavities deep underneath the snow that can open up into steep holes,” officials said. “Two of these fumaroles are located in the direct fall lines for the most popular climbing routes on Mt. Hood.”
More than 20 rescuers climbed up the mountain to help the climber who was trapped at the bottom of the fumarole cavity.
“A rescuer wearing a respirator and using gas monitors was lowered to … Stevens around midnight,” deputies said. “The team stabilized Stevens and hoisted him to the surface where he was loaded in a litter.”
Rescuers then lowered Stevens down the slopes and took him to an ambulance that was waiting in a lodge parking lot.
Officials did not disclose Stevens’ current condition.
“Having sustained serious injuries when he fell to the rocks at the bottom of the fumarole cavity, he spent a long night (more than 8 hours) breathing toxic gases before rescuers could haul him out,” Portland Mountain Rescue said on Facebook. “We know the skies have been fair over the mountain lately, but it’s still winter and climbers need to carry ... all the other technical gear that goes with advanced mountaineering.”
The rescue was the third in five days on Mount Hood, the sheriff’s office said. Many people were exploring the volcano in clear weather.
“Even on a clear day, however, Mt. Hood’s winter is a severe and unforgiving environment,” officials said. “Climbing in these conditions requires technical equipment and advanced mountaineering skills.”
Mount Hood is Oregon’s highest peak. The volcano has had two major eruptions in the past 1,500 years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The most recent eruption was in 1865.
Mount Hood is about 70 miles east of Portland.
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