A hiker was critically injured after she plunged about 200m from the Koncheto Ridge in Pirin Mountain, one of the most precarious mountain sections in Bulgaria. The accident occurred on the afternoon of December 2.

The Mountain Rescue Patrol was alerted on December 2 2009 at 10pm. A total of 18 rescuers from Bansko and Razlog and a paramedic were dispatched to the scene, Dnes.bg reported.

The climber fell in the Razlog part of the Koncheto Ridge after she and a male companion attempted to cross it while it was covered in ice. The man told Mountain Rescue Patrol that the woman had suffered multiple injuries. He managed to notify them of the exact location shortly before the batteries ran out on his mobile phone.

Reportedly, a blizzard has descended on the Koncheto Ridge, Kutelo and Vihren summits, making the deployment of a rescue helicopter all but impossible, Dnes reported.

Koncheto (the Horsie) is considered to be the most epic stretch of mountain anywhere in Bulgaria along with the Bayovi Dupki ridge. Koncheto is several hundred metres in length, at times only 30cm wide, with the north face being vertical, roughly 400m, and the south face, sloped at about 40 degrees, exceeding 800m in depth.

Because the stretch of mountain is so demanding, climbers used to saddle it in order to get across, hence the name Koncheto. The most difficult parts of the ridge are rigged with a steel cable, but there are sections leading up to Kutelo Summit (2908m) which are not rigged and could be extremely dangerous in winter. Vertigo sufferers are not advised to climb it because panic attacks are common.