
A climber who plunged off the side of a mountain survived not only a 500-foot fall but also the night spent stranded in freezing conditions that followed. The climber had been out with his brother in mid-April when the incident occurred near Mount Baxter in the Sierra Nevada area of California, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In a statement posted on Facebook, the California Highway Patrol’s Inland Division Air Operations said the climber “had fallen, and came to rest on a steep ledge, sustaining major injuries.” People reported that the climber had been walking up a steep slope in deep snow, which had then given way beneath him. “They were unable to move up or down the steep terrain and spent the night in freezing conditions,” the division added. “The location of the victim made ground rescue impossible.” It said that a rescuer from Inyo County Search & Rescue was winched down by helicopter to rescue both men. From there, they medivaced to Lone Pine Airport before being rushed to a nearby hospital. “It’s probably the most challenging hoist I’ve had to do,” flight officer paramedic Gustavo Aguirre told the Chronicle.















