This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A man "nicked an artery" after he fell while ice climbing in Little Cottonwood Canyon on Sunday evening.

The 34-year-old man was climbing above Snowbird in the Twin Peaks area about 5 p.m. when he slipped and fell 20 to 30 feet, said Unified police Lt. Brian Lohrke.

A nurse climbing nearby aided him while the man's party hiked down for help from ski patrol. The man's crampon, a spiked plate added to shoes for climbing, cut into his hip and leg, slicing into an artery and causing "decent bleeding."

"When you nick an artery, that's not a good thing," said UPD Lt. Manfred Lassig.

The man was flown off the mountain and then taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital in "poor" condition, Lassig said. Lohrke said he was later upgraded to "good" condition.

ctanner@sltrib.com Twitter: @CourtneyLTanner