Hikers who see rock climber plummet 60 feet get him help, NH officials say
A rock climber plunged about 60 feet in New Hampshire, and hikers and fellow climbers in the area helped provide aid, officials said.
Hikers saw the man fall July 2 in Mount Washington’s Pinnacle Buttress area, New Hampshire Fish and Game officials wrote in a news release.
They shouted to other rock climbers in the area, who “provided first aid, first-hand information, and a reliable location,” officials said.
A multi-agency rescue effort was launched in “the extremely difficult terrain,” and the 31-year-old climber from New Orleans, Louisiana, was hoisted from the area at about 3 p.m., according to officials, who didn’t have an update July 3 on his condition.
After he was hoisted, rescuers helped the rock climbers who’d lent a hand, and “the blended group of volunteers was then able to climb back up to the Alpine Garden area of (the mountain) and meet a conservation officer to get a ride back down the mountain,” officials said.
Officials said “this incident highlights the special relationships that exist in the outdoors of New Hampshire,” noting that “had hikers not seen this incident happen and shouted to nearby climbers, it could have been hours, if not days, before the victim was located.”
They added that, “once the call came in, rescuers from both the volunteer and professional teams worked cohesively to do their jobs, thus getting the severely injured young man to definitive care in just over two hours.”
The injured man had experience in the area, officials said.
Mount Washington is in Coos County in northern New Hampshire.
This story was originally published July 3, 2025 at 6:20 PM.
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