The Latest: Mount Hood, a popular but dangerous peak

The Latest: Mount Hood, a popular but dangerous peak


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GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. (AP) — The Latest on a fatal climbing accident at Oregon's Mount Hood (all times local):

1:10 p.m.

A fatality and an hours-long rescue effort to bring other climbers off Oregon's tallest peak as a storm approached underscore the dangers of a mountain that's soared in popularity due to its proximity to Portland.

More than 10,000 people attempt to summit Mount Hood each season, but more than 130 have also perished on its icy slopes.

There are no requirements for summiting the dormant volcano and no mandatory registration rules, making its peaks crowded.

Thirty-five-year-old climber Miha Sumi died in a fall Tuesday and several stranded climbers had to be rescued.

Officials say the Portland man had mid-level climbing experience and was properly equipped with an ice ax, crampons and a helmet.

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12:15 p.m.

Authorities have identified a 35-year-old Portland man as the climber who died after falling at least 700 feet (213 meters) on Oregon's Mount Hood.

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office says Miha Sumi was dead on arrival at a Portland hospital Tuesday after he was airlifted off the mountain.

Sumi had been in a party of four climbers with mid-level experience.

Other members of the group told officials that Sumi slipped on ice and fell.

A solo climber was the first to reach him and began administering CPR.

Several other climbers also provided aid.

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12:00 a.m.

One climber fell to his death and several others had to be rescued after conditions turned treacherous on Oregon's tallest peak.

Authorities say more than a half-dozen people had been climbing near Mount Hood's peak when a climber fell about 1,000 feet.

Mount Hood, a peak notorious for loose ice and rocks in warm weather, is a popular climbing site that has seen dozens of accidents and fatalities over the years. Thousands climb it each year, mostly in the spring.

Climbers used their cellphones to report that conditions were hazardous near the Hogsback area by the summit of the mountain east of Portland.

Rescuers made it up to the other climbers Tuesday afternoon and helped several of them down the mountain.

Authorities did not immediately release the name of the man who died.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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