Choppers rescue climber

NORTH SISTER: A half dozen agencies and rescue response groups worked together early last Saturday to rescue an injured climber stranded high up the North Sister. “This rescue required a great deal of coordination and staff, including the three involved helicopters,” officials said.

Authorities were alerted to the emergency by a 911 call from the victim at 4:40 a.m. on July 6th. According to a press release, the man had likely suffered “several broken bones and was on an exposed scree slide taking rockfall.” The area is particularly challenging and claimed the life of another man just one year ago.

Initially, a decision was made to dispatch a LifeFlight helicopter while volunteers with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue boarded an AirLink helicopter. A backup team of SAR volunteers was also deployed to climb to the man’s location.

The airlifted SAR personnel and climbers provided medical care and then moved the patient to a more accessible site. From there, an Oregon Army National Guard helicopter transported the man to an area hospital for additional medical treatment, authorities said.

The AirLink chopper retrieved some rescuers from the mountain, while the backup team of climbers made their way back down the slope and hiked out.

Last July 17th the recovery of an Oregon State University-Cascades student’s body was hampered by the terrain. Rescuers said that the area on the North Sister included extremely loose rocks and steep terrain that prevented them from reaching him from the ground.

Crews resumed their efforts the next day with the Civil Air Patrol utilizing a small drone, a high-resolution camera, and a ground team comprised of volunteers combined with Corvallis Mountain Rescue and Eugene Mountain Rescue in a search to locate the victim.