Last weekend, an ice climber fell about 60 feet on a steep section of Shoestring Gully in New Hampshire but survived the fall. His friend was able to call for help only after finishing the climb, since there was no cellular service at the point where his friend fell. The climber, 55-year-old Slavek Zaglewski, sustained injuries to his arm and head from the massive fall, but ultimately he got very lucky. Not only did this ice climber survive the fall but he also survived the long wait after the fall amid frigid temperatures while rescuers worked to get him out.
“Along with Conservation Officers, twenty-eight volunteers from the Mountain Rescue Service (MRS), Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (ASVAR), and the Bartlett/Jackson Ambulance Service responded,” wrote New Hampshire Fish and Game in a press release. “A small MRS team ascended the gully to reach Zaglewski while the rest of the group hiked up the ridge above them with equipment needed to raise Zaglewski out of the gully.”
After stabilizing the ice climber’s injuries, treating him for hypothermia, and securing him on a litter, rescue crews raised Zaglewski up about 400 feet, then carried him for two miles through treacherous terrain to a trailhead. All in all, the rescue effort took about 10 hours. Authorities say it looks like Zaglewski is going to come out of this incident with no long-term injuries.
Header image by Jack Lawlor via MountainProject.com.