Report: Mt. Hood climber killed in 400-foot fall

A climber fell hundreds of feet to his death on Mt. Hood Thursday morning and a recovery effort has begun to carry his body off the mountain, Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies said.

KGW reports rescuers reached the man before noon and said he had not survived the fall.

First reports of the fall came just after 9:30 a.m. Witnesses called 911 and said they saw a climber fall on the west side of the mountain, in an area known as Hogsback, near the 10,000-foot level.

They said the man did not fall into any crevasses, so he could still be seen on the mountain after he stopped tumbling.

The fall appeared to be “severe” and it looked like he rolled and slid 200-400 feet, including across some exposed rocks, according to Sgt. Nathan Thompson with the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

Rescuers did not know if the man had been climbing alone or with a group. They identified him as a 61-year-old man, but his name has not yet been released.