CONTACT:
Sgt. Alex Lopashanski
603-744-5470
603-271-3361
December 16, 2024

Harts Location, NH – On Saturday, December 14, shortly before 7:30 p.m., New Hampshire Fish and Game was notified that an ice climber was injured on Shoestring Gully. The Climber was Slavek Zaglewski, 55, of Oakland, NJ. Zaglewski was climbing with his friend Mariusz Markewicz when he fell around 60 feet on a steep section near the top of the climb. Zaglewski suffered an arm and a head injury in the fall. Markewicz secured him and dressed him in warm clothes. There was no cell service at the location so Markewicz continued climbing up to the ridge until he could place a call to 911 for help.

Along with Conservation Officers, twenty-eight volunteers from the Mountain Rescue Service (MRS), Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue (ASVAR), and the Bartlett/Jackson Ambulance Service responded. A small MRS team ascended the gully to reach Zaglewski while the rest of the group hiked up the ridge above them with equipment needed to raise Zaglewski out of the gully.

Rescuers were able to stabilize his injuries, treat him for hypothermia, and get him into a litter. He was raised almost 400 feet up to level ground and then carried down the trail nearly two miles to the trailhead. Several sections of the trail were so steep that rescuers needed to use roped belays to move the litter safely down. The group reached the trailhead shortly after 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 15, and Zaglewski was taken by ambulance to the Maine Health Memorial Hospital in North Conway for treatment.

Mountain Rescue Service and Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue are highly skilled volunteer search and rescue organizations whose members work hard to maintain the skills and equipment necessary to carry out technical rescues in difficult conditions across the state. Anyone can donate to MRS and AVSAR through the New Hampshire Outdoor Council by visiting www.nhoutdoorcouncil.org. Donations are fully tax deductible. Outdoor enthusiasts are also encouraged to purchase a Hike Safe card at www.wildnh.com/safe. The card helps support Fish and Game’s search and rescue activities. For safe hiking tips and a list of essential gear, visit hikesafe.com.