Published 11:17 am Wednesday, October 28, 2026

A Bend man stranded on Broken Top was rescued by the Deschutes County Search and Rescue team and the Army National Guard on Saturday after being stuck on a ridge for 17 hours.

Deschutes County 911 dispatch received a report of a 34-year-old Bend man stranded on the east-facing ridge above the crater of Broken Top at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23. The man was not rescued from the ridge until 9:06 a.m. on Oct. 24 due to the high altitude, hazardous terrain and limited daylight.

The man was familiar with the area and had climbed Broken Top before, however, the lack of snow and unstable crumbly rock provided hazards that he was not equipped to navigate.

The Army National Guard attempted to rescue the man with a helicopter hoist but the darkness and high altitude made them unable to do so until first light on the following day.

Due to a rising concern of hypothermia, four mountain rescue unit members were flown by AirLink at 6:20 p.m. and 7:04 p.m.…