A 31-year-old novice climber survived a roughly 1,500-foot slide down California's Mount Shasta after worsening weather forced rescuers to abandon plans for a direct helicopter rescue, sending climbing rangers scrambling up the mountain on foot before she could be flown to a hospital.The woman was climbing the Left of Heart variation of the popular Avalanche Gulch route Sunday with two other novice climbers when she slipped near the 13,000-foot elevation and ultimately came to rest roughly 1,500 vertical feet lower, according to the U.S.Forest Service.Cloud cover prevented a California Highway Patrol helicopter from reaching the injured climber directly, forcing the rescue to unfold in stages.RESCUERS FREE CLIMBER TRAPPED BENEATH 16,000-POUND BOULDER ON OREGON'S MOUNT HOOD IN COMPLEX OPERATIONClimbing rangers and rescuers transport an injured climber across Mount Shasta after she slid about 1,500 vertical feet during an ascent.
(U.S.Forest Service / Mount Shasta Climbing Rangers via Facebook)"The weather complicated the issue," a California Highway Patrol Office of Air Operations official with the Redding Air Unit told Fox News Digital.Unable to reach the woman, the helicopter instead dropped U.S.
Forest Service climbing rangers lower on Mount Shasta, where they hiked to the patient while the air crew waited for weather conditions to improve.Once rangers stabilized the climber, they carefully lowered her by rescue litter to Lake Helen, where a CHP helicopter was finally able to land and fly her to Mercy Medical Center Mount Shasta at approximately 5:37 p.m.RESCUERS FREE CLIMBER TRAPPED BENEATH 16,000-POUND BOULDER ON OREGON'S MOUNT HOOD IN COMPLEX OPERATIONU.S.Forest Service climbing rangers lower an injured climber down Mount Shasta after she slid about 1,500 vertical feet on the Avalanche Gulch route Sunday.
Cloud cover prevented an immediate helicopter rescue.(U.S.
Forest Service / Mount Shasta Climbing Rangers via Facebook)The rescue took roughly five and a ...