A 24-year-old San Jose man is recovering after surviving a roughly 500-foot slide down Mount Shasta and then crawling through the night to reach safety.
Zubayir Kazi told NBC Bay Area he reached the summit on Sept. 10 during his first icy summit attempt, but the descent went wrong. “Everything I had with me just goes out of my hand and I find myself flying down the mountain,” Kazi said.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, Kazi lost control while attempting to glissade, or slide, down the snow- and ice-covered Avalanche Gulch after reaching the summit. He suffered significant lacerations and injuries to his feet.
The fall stripped him of his food, water, cellphone and light, leaving him alone with no way to call for help. “My mentality became very one dimensional. I don’t know what’s the optimal thing to do, but I just know that I have to go lower because if I stay here and fall asleep, I’m going to die,” Kazi said.
Swelling in his feet forced him to remove his boots, and he crawled through the night until he reached Horse Camp Cabin. When friends lost contact with him, they reported him missing, triggering a multi-agency search.
A hiker found Kazi inside the cabin the following day and gave him food and water before rescuers arrived. “When the officers came in, it was the first time I really realized how badly I was injured. They said ‘You have no skin behind your leg,'” Kazi said.
Kazi told NBC Bay Area he suffered significant skin and nerve damage along with serious internal complications, and that doctors told him he could have died within hours.
The Forest Service credited Kazi with knowing his route and telling friends of his plans beforehand, while urging climbers to carry backup electronics, allow enough daylight for their trips, and be prepared to self-rescue if needed.
Kazi said the experience has changed how he approaches climbing. “It is very important to fully and properly account for all of the requirements and safety considerations necessary to complete a hike like this and not miss a single one — and I’d say to definitely not go alone,” he said.
