Hiker dies after sliding up to 700 feet down icy California mountain, rescuers say
A hiker died after sliding up to 700 feet down an icy California mountain, deputies said.
Rescuers rushed to the injured woman on Sunday, Jan. 8, after she had fallen down Baldy Bowl on Mt. Baldy, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
Mt. Baldy is the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Deputies said they received an SOS message from a Garmin inReach device, which led rescuers in a helicopter to the woman.
The woman was surrounded by other hikers on the steep and icy hillside, deputies said.
A medic was lowered from the helicopter to the hiker. They evaluated her for “substantial injuries” and requested she be transported from the mountain, deputies said.
She died from her injuries on the mountain, deputies said.
When the weather cleared, she was hoisted from the mountain and taken to the Sheriff’s Aviation and then the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Office. Her identity has not been released.
She was the second hiker in two weeks to die on Mt. Baldy after sliding on ice, authorities said.
“We encourage hikers to please come prepared and hike responsibly. Wear appropriate clothing for the colder weather conditions and have the proper snow and ice gear with you,” the sheriff’s department said in the release.
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