Mount Hood climber from Puyallup survives 300-foot fall down mountain

PORTLAND, — A novice climber is recovering from injuries after falling 300 feet down the south side of Mount Hood.

Chris Biddle, 39, of Puyallup, was descending from the summit early Sunday afternoon when he lost his footing and tumbled down the south side of the mountain.

He tried to stop the fall with an ice ax, he said, but he couldn't get it to sink in.

"It was just spraying ice all over," he told The Oregonian newspaper.

"I remember thinking that I might just slide a long, long ways down the hill," he said.

Moments later, Biddle said, his face struck the icy mountainside and he blacked out. His fall ended on a plateau.

His face was bruised and scraped, but the wood-products worker said Monday he wasn't in any pain. His body felt numb because of the swelling, he said.

He did not suffer broken bones or other serious injuries. His knee ached, and he twisted his ankle, he said, but he can walk.

Biddle said he mostly feels lucky, and grateful to two other climbers, Jeff Manor of Southwest Washington and Philipp Jelinek of Austria.

Jeff Manor, a volunteer-in-training with the Littlerock Fire Department in Washington, said he called 911 with his cellphone before descending to seek help. Jelinek waited with Biddle.

A helicopter flew Biddle from the Hogsback area to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland.

Biddle said he is new to climbing and wants to go up again — after he has received more training.

"I went beyond my abilities for the mountain," he said. "I didn't stop to think about it."