New York - A 16-year-old Canadian boy tumbled 500 feet (152.4 metres) down
a snowy mountain in the US state of Oregon Monday and escaped with
just a broken femur.
Gurbaz Singh, a Vancouver native, was leading a group of friends on a
trek up Mount Hood near Portland when he slipped on the ice,
according to the Clackamas Sheriff's Office.
Unable to break his fall, Gurbaz fell hundreds of feet down the
mountain from the Pearly Gates down to the unfortunately named
Devil's Kitchen.
About four hours after the fall, rescuers reached Gurbaz and were
able to stabilize his leg and begin the trek down the mountain to
safety.
"He thought he was going to stop somewhere, and he was trying to
arrest the fall with his ax, but it just didn't happen because he was
rolling so fast that he couldn't do it," Gurbaz's father, Rishamdeep
Singh, told KATU.
"He's OK with that; he's not thinking much of it. He's talking to
family and friends. He's in good spirits."
Singh said that not only does his son plan to continue hiking, but
even intends to go back to Mount Hood once he's healed.