Zubayir Kazi, a 24-year-old hiker, sustained severe injuries after falling approximately 500 feet down Mount Shasta while attempting to summit alone on September 10. Despite having previously hiked part of the trail for preparation, Kazi encountered much worse conditions during his actual climb and lost control during descent, resulting in a perilous fall that left him without food, water, or communication devices. Rescued by another climber who provided immediate aid, Kazi was later treated for extensive skin and nerve damage by medical personnel who stated he could have perished within hours if not rescued.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Zubayir Kazi, 24, from San Jose, California, experienced a harrowing fall while descending Mount Shasta on September 10. Kazi had reached the summit around 7:30 p.m., but on his way down, he lost control and plummeted about 500 feet due to icy conditions that were far worse than anticipated. This accident left him severely injured and without essential supplies like food, water, a phone, or light.
Unable to call for help, Kazi decided to crawl downhill through the night, driven by sheer survival instinct. He told NBC Bay Area, "My mentality became very one dimensional... I just know that I have to go lower because if I stay here and fall asleep, I’m going to die." After a perilous crawl, he reached Horse Camp Cabin where rescuers eventually found him.
The U.S. Forest Service warned against such climbs during these conditions, especially for novice climbers like Kazi who should not attempt the route alone. His story highlights the importance of proper preparation and caution when undertaking challenging hikes or climbs.
Written for “Mount Shasta Climber Rescue” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
A hiker was badly injured after a near-fatal 500-foot fall after he decided to summit his first mountain solo.
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he → injure → mountain
Zubayir Kazi, 24, had decided to climb Mount Shasta alone on September 10.
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Kazi → decide → September
While it was his first summit, Kazi said he felt prepared.
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he → say → ?
Kazi told NBC Bay Area that he had hiked part of the trail five days before the summit to understand what the conditions could be like.
But on the day of the climb, he found conditions ‘much worse’ than he expected.
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he → tell → climb
Kazi reached the top despite the difficult conditions but his descent became treacherous.
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descent → reach → conditions
Zubayir Kazi did the Mt Shasta summit alone.
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Kazi → do → summit
He reached the top and was ready to descend at around 7.30 pm.
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He → reach → pm
Due to the difficult conditions, he lost control and went flying down the mountain from 500 feet
Kazi lost all his belongings and did not have a way to call for help.
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Kazi → lose → help
The skin at the back of his leg peeled off when he down the icy terrain
He texted his friends and told them how difficult the climb was, he told NBC Bay Area.
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he → peel → Area
His friends had previously warned him to not go alone.
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friends → warn → him
Shortly after these updates, Kazi began the dangerous descent unaware of what would happen on his way down.
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what → begin → way
The young man lost control, fell 500 feet through the rocky terrain of icy Mount Shasta and hurt himself, the outlet reported.
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outlet → lose → himself
‘Everything I had with me just goes out of my hand and I find myself flying down the mountain,’ he told NBC Bay Area.
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he → have → Area
Kazi had no food, water, phone or light.
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Kazi → have → food
He did not know how to call for help.
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He → know → help
‘My mentality became very one-dimensional, like: “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.”
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I → become → ?
By now Kazi had hurt his legs but he decided to drag himself down the mountain to safety.
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he → hurt → safety
Mount Shasta has an elevation of 14,179 ft.
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Shasta → have → ft
Kazi managed to reach the base camp even after being injured.
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Kazi → manage → camp
His friend alerted the search and rescue team after he did not hear from him in hours
Kazi was found by a fellow climber.
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Kazi → alert → climber
The hiker gave him food and water while he waited for the rescue team.
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he → give → team
The doctor told Kazi that he could have died within a few hours if he had not been rescued
When hours passed and he did not hear from Kazi, a friend alerted officials.
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friend → tell → officials
Search and rescue crews started looking for the young man when another climber alerted them that Kazi was located.
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Kazi → start → them
The climber helped Kazi to a basecamp cabin and gave him food and water until aid arrived.
‘I was woken up to the entire cabin buzzing for the helicopter that was landing… and I thought, they couldn’t be here for me, could they?’ Kazi told the outlet.
He realized how badly he was injured only when the officers came in, the outlet reported.
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outlet → help → outlet
‘They said “You have no skin behind your leg,"’ Kazi said.
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Kazi → say → leg
Doctors told the San Jose resident that he could have died within hours, the outlet reported.
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outlet → tell → hours
The young man has been bedridden since and has suffered skin and nerve damage from the 500-foot slide.
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man → suffer → slide
The US Forest Service recommended that people should not hike Mt Shasta during this season.
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people → recommend → season
Kazi is not recovering from his injuries
Mount Shasta is a majestic stratovolcano in Northern California at 14,179 ft, according to the Mt Shasta Avalanche Center.
The US Forest Service told NBC Bay Area that it is not recommended to climb Mount Shasta this time of year.
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it → recover → year
Rookie climbers are especially discouraged from climbing the mountain.
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climbers → discourage → mountain
Kazi said that the accident changed the way he looks at mountain climbing.
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he → say → climbing
He added that it will take him weeks to recover from his injuries.
‘
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it → add → injuries
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
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I → account → one
,' Kazi said.
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Kazi → say → ?
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