Climber Airlifted After 60-Foot Fall Mount Washington New Hampshire

Lukas Lamb Wotton, a 31-year-old experienced climber from New Orleans, suffered a potentially life-threatening fall of about 60 feet from the Pinnacle Buttress area on Mount Washington. Witnesses alerted nearby climbers who provided first aid and called 911, enabling a swift multi-agency rescue operation involving New Hampshire Fish and Game, Mountain Rescue Service technical climbers, Mount Washington State Park staff, and a Blackhawk helicopter crew from the New Hampshire Army National Guard. Favorable weather conditions allowed the helicopter crew to hoist Wotton from Huntington Ravine and airlift him to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon. Officials confirmed he arrived alive, though his current condition remains unknown. The rescue highlighted the importance of immediate assistance and coordination among responders, as well as the challenging terrain and technical complexity of the operation. Wotton, a postdoctoral scholar at Tulane University with a background linked to Maine, was familiar with the climbing route, underscoring the unpredictable dangers even experienced climbers face.