Hiker clings to rock after slip on icy cliff, Utah rescuers say. ‘Lucky to be alive’

A woman was found clinging to a rock after she couldn’t go up or down a cliff in Utah, rescuers said.

The woman was hiking in North Fork Park, about 60 miles north of Salt Lake City, on Sunday, May 22, the North Fork Fire Department said.

She slipped on ice and became stuck in “serious danger,” officials said.

“Slid down an ice covered scree field,” firefighters said in a statement. “She was holding onto a rock and cliffed out.”

If someone is “cliffed out,” he or she cannot move from the area. The person is typically trapped because they can’t go up or down a cliff or mountain.

The woman was hoisted out of the area by a Life Flight helicopter. She was treated for hypothermia and had minor injuries, according to the fire department.

“Our patient was in serious danger and lucky to be alive,” officials said. “Had she fallen more, that would not have been the case.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2022 at 12:26 PM with the headline "Hiker clings to rock after slip on icy cliff, Utah rescuers say. ‘Lucky to be alive’."