A California hiker died Sunday after falling nearly 400 feet from one of the highest mountains in the state, authorities said.
The 23-year-old man, whom authorities later identified as Neil Karpe of Berkeley, and a partner were descending a snowfield below Mt. Sill when Karpe slipped and fell, suffering “unknown but serious injuries,” the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
At an elevation of about 13,200 feet, Karpe’s hiking partner used a satellite communication device to call for help, according to the statement.
Rescuers dispatched a helicopter to reach the hikers, but Karpe had already succumbed to his injuries by the time it arrived, the sheriff’s office said. Gusty winds and the high elevation prevented the helicopter from landing or hoisting the victim on Sunday.
On Monday, a search and rescue team of six members were dropped off about 100 feet below the accident site, the sheriff’s office said. After nearly three hours, the team reached the hikers. The victim was hoisted from the mountain and later transferred to the Inyo County Coroner.
Details on the victim’s injuries or cause of death were not immediately released.
Mt. Sill’s peak rises 14,159 feet in the eastern Sierra Nevada and is the second-highest peak in the Palisade range, according to website SummitPost.org.