Climber Dies in Unexpected Storm on Mount Shasta
A 50-year-old climber died this past weekend after sustaining severe injuries while descending Mount Shasta (14,162 ft).
According to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, the man summited Shasta with a partner on Saturday, August 16, 2025. Shortly after beginning their descent via the Clear Creek Trail, a storm moved in.
Climbers Unprepared
The pair were not carrying wet-weather gear. One of them began showing symptoms of altitude sickness. Disoriented at around 11,000 feet, they became separated in the storm. One climber managed to reach their base camp and was able to briefly contact his partner by phone. The man was "confused and disoriented" on the phone and was unable to give his location. Eventually, the climber at base camp called 911 to report his partner missing.
Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue teams and the Mount Shasta Avalanche Center mobilized on Saturday evening, but bad weather delayed the search until Sunday morning. At around 12:30 p.m., a SAR helicopter spotted the missing climber. He was wedged between an ice sheet and a rocky slope, a few hundreds yards off the main route.
Rescuers reached him at approximately 3 p.m. He was in and out of consciousness when they arrived and was airlifted for treatment, but he later died of his injuries at the hospital, according to reports from SFGATE.
A Busy Few Weeks for SAR
This marks the sixth rescue call on the Clear Creek Trail in just two weeks. Described as the least technical way to climb Shasta, the route is popular. But both the U.S. Forest Service and Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office warn that it’s still a serious alpine climb. Hazards include rockfall, exposed cliffs, difficult-to-navigate terrain, and of course, rapidly changing weather.
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Nick Meyers, lead climbing ranger and manager of the Forest Service’s Mount Shasta Wilderness program, noted that the “low-angle” nature of the route can give climbers a false sense of security.
“Just because it’s the easiest route on the mountain doesn’t mean you can’t still get into trouble,” Meyers said.
The Sheriff’s Office echoed this, urging climbers to approach the route with significant preparation and caution. They recommend carrying proper wet-weather gear, an SOS beacon, a GPS device, and traveling with one or more climbing partners.
Mount Shasta has long drawn climbers looking for a non-technical path to a Cascade volcano summit. But this tragedy underscores a sobering truth. “Easy” does not mean “safe,” and in the high alpine, conditions can turn deadly fast.
Our condolences go out to the families affected by this tragedy.
