- Despite his terrible accident, this is one lucky man.
Mountain climbing is a risky business, as only a single misstep can spell horrible disaster. As a morbid silver lining, though, you won’t have to deal with the consequences of your screw-up for very long.
After all, there’s no way anyone would survive after plunging hundreds of feet off a mountain.
Well, except Chris Zwierzynski.
The 55-year-old mountain climber from Arizona had a bit of an “oh crap” moment recently. When scaling a trail up Mount Hood in Oregon, he slipped on an icy surface. Due to the slippery conditions, he couldn’t catch himself in time and fell down the mountainside.
And he kept falling until he plummeted to the ground — 700 feet below his point of origin.
Two military medics happened to witness Zwierzynski’s tumble and rushed to where he fell. Miraculously, they discovered he had survived and began to immediately administer first aid to the injured man.
In another stroke of luck, the weather conditions on Mount Hood were absolutely perfect for a helicopter rescue mission. With the help of onlookers and a quick airborne evacuation, Zwierzynski lived to tell his unbelievable tale.
A Slip Is All It Takes
Mount Hood is an active stratovolcano, rising to 11,249 feet in northern Oregon. As the state’s highest peak, its ruggedly gorgeous, permanently snow-covered slopes attract mountain climbers and hikers like honey draws flies.
However, Mount Hood is not a forgiving mountain. Whichever way you choose to climb it, you’re up for an enormous challenge that comes with great risks.
On July 6, Chris Zwierzynski found that out the hardest possible way.
Early that morning, he was climbing up Mount Hood along the Old Chute route. Although Old Chute is the go-to choice for scaling the mountain due to its relative safety, the steep route is still no cakewalk.
Additionally, at the heights Zwierzynski had reached, it didn’t matter that it was July and that summer was in full swing. The mountain surfaces were blanketed in thick banks of snow that had been coated in a slick ice sheet.
Zwierzynski experienced first-hand how slick the ice could be when he slipped and lost his footing around 7:45 a.m.
He began sliding down the hard, packed snow toward a nearby cliff. With nothing to grab onto and his gear not biting into the hard ice, there was nothing the man could do to stop himself.
And so, he went over the edge — with a 700-foot drop below him.
Strokes of Luck
In a way, Zwierzynski is an incredibly lucky man. Not because of the fall, but because of who happened to see it.
Two off-duty military medics who were also climbing the mountain saw, much to their horror, as Zwierzynski slipped and fell 700 feet before crashing into Mount Hood’s Hot Rocks area. They began to immediately climb to his aid, but let’s face it — they probably expected to find only a mangled heap that was once a man.
We can only imagine their surprise when they discovered Zwierzynski had survived the fall and was still alive.
Yet, he had sustained multiple, serious injuries. The two medics immediately fell back onto their medical training and began working to keep Zwierzynski alive.
They were soon joined by two Mount Hood National Forest rangers, who had also seen the fall. They alerted the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office which kicked off a full-scale rescue operation.
Due to Zwierzynski’s critical injuries, the authorities decided they couldn’t wait for someone to carry him off the mountain. So, they requested Oregon Army National Guard send a helicopter to pick him up, which they promptly did.
Once again, luck was in Zwierzynski’s favor. The weather on Mount Hood was absolutely perfect, and the helicopter was able to execute a demanding “hot landing” maneuver, hovering just inches off the snow bank as the helpers on the ground lifted the injured man on board.
And this is where our story ends. The helicopter took off to a hospital with Zwierzynski on board, allowing him to hopefully conquer Mount Hood on another day.
Dangerous Even on a Good Day
Despite his horrible injuries, Zwierzynski was incredibly lucky. As we mentioned, Mount Hood doesn’t kid around and is dangerous even in good weather.
“All routes up the mountain are technical, requiring specialized training and equipment. All routes become progressively more difficult approaching the summit, which can lure inexperienced climbers into situations beyond their skill,” warned Mark Morford of Portland Mountain Rescue.
Indeed, nearly 150 people have died on Mount Hood since tracking began in 1896. Most deaths are due to falls, but cold exposure, avalanches, falling rocks and ice, and other hazards claim lives as well.
Additionally, around 50 people are rescued from the mountain every year. If you decide to defy Mount Hood, remember that it’s not your friend — the mountain wants you dead.