Rescue crews save 16-year-old boy who fell 500 feet from top of Oregon's Mount Hood

MT. HOOD, Oregon -- A 16-year-old hiker miraculously survived a 500-foot fall from a mountain, thanks to the hard work of rescue crews.

Gurbaz Singh was just about to reach the summit of Oregon's Mount Hood Monday morning, at an altitude of around 10,500 feet, when he slipped on ice. The 16-year-old plummeted 500 feet from an area known as "The Pearly Gates" to "The Devil's Kitchen" below.

Clackamas Sheriff's Office's rescue team said he shattered his leg in the fall and needed to be slowly and carefully brought down the treacherous slopes before being rushed to the hospital.

After several hours, he was brought down in stable condition. He's expected to have surgery on his leg Tuesday.

His father, Rishamdeep Singh, said Gurbaz is an avid climber who did everything he could to stop the fall.

"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," he said.

His father said he's so grateful for a happy ending and expects his son to complete his 98th summit once he recovers.

"I'm so humbled. I'm so grateful ... all of them are heroes. I thank everybody who's been of so much help to my son," Rishamdeep Singh said.

Mt. Hood, Oregon's tallest mountain, is one of the most climbed mountains in the world, according to Clackamas Sheriff's Office. More than 10,000 people make the ascent each year, and in that duration, rescue crews respond to an average of 70 missions.