A man in his 20s escaped injury after sliding hundreds of feet down an icy slope Saturday on Maunakea.
Responding to a 7:08 p.m. report, Hawaii Fire Department (HFD) personnel the summit 50 minutes later to find a man in his 20s that had separated from his group and slid about 700 feet down any icy slope and was not able to get back up. The patient, according to the department, was in the “beginning stages of hypothermia.”
HFD crews and U.S. Army Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) Fire and Rescue teams worked together using rope systems to safely extricate the victim, according to the HFD. The Army noted that the man apparently fell after stepping over a guard rail and slipping on ice. Conditions were “sub-freezing cold (23 degrees)” with challenging terrain.
The man was examined by PTA medics and released without treatment or transport. The Army said his condition improved following treatment.