Mount Rainier climbers rescued by helicopter after crevasse fall

Two climbers were rescued by helicopter Friday after one fell into a crevasse the day before on Mount Rainier, officials say.

The climbers had been in contact with the National Park Service beginning Wednesday evening, when they stopped their summit bid at 12,800 feet because of adverse weather, according to the NPS. They didn’t initially ask for assistance.

But the climbers called for help Thursday after one of them fell 80 feet into a crevasse at about 12,200 feet above sea level and suffered arm and leg injuries, the NPS said.

The climber who fell was able to communicate with Mount Rainier National Park dispatchers, as well as his partner on the Kautz Glacier, but authorities could not immediately launch a rescue effort because of deep snow, limited visibility and strong and erratic winds, according to the NPS.

Heavy winds thwarted rescuers’ efforts to reach the climbers Friday morning, the NPS said, but rescuers were able to reach the pair several hours later.

The climbers were on the Kautz Glacier climbing route below the Wapowety Cleaver and had planned to descend the Disappointment Cleaver route when one of them fell into the crevasse, according to the NPS.

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