Rescue efforts suspended after ice climber falls off cliff into icy Lake Superior at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

MUNISING, Mich. (WWJ) -- In what U.S. Coast Guard officials are calling "one of the most difficult decisions" they've ever had to make, the search for a missing ice climber on Lake Superior has been suspended due to hazardous conditions.

James Bake of Gaylord was climbing a roughly 50-foot cliff in the Miners Castle formation at the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Tuesday when he fell around 5:15 p.m.

Authorities tell WWJ they believe Bake, 32, fell into what they call "pancake ice," which are soft and slushy circles and easy to fall through. They don't believe he was able to get out of the water.

Difficult weather conditions prevented the ice rescue team from launching. The helicopter searched into Tuesday evening, but was unable to locate Bake.

A second helicopter from Air Station Traverse City returned at first light Wednesday and completed its search, also with no sightings, and the search was suspended in the late afternoon.

Officials did not say whether the search would resume Thursday.

Lt. Kathleen Romas with the Coast Guard said 5- or 6-foot waves were "crashing heavily" on the rocks, making the search process extremely difficult.

"They did lower the rescue swimmer to see if they could get a better vantage point. However, the waves were so bad that it wasn't safe for the rescue swimmer to actually get into the water," Romas said.

Multiple agencies, including the Coast Guard, Alger County Rescue 21, and the National Park Service descended on the area to locate the ice climber Tuesday.

Miners Castle is one of the most well-known landmarks with the Pictured Rocks shoreline. It is the only cliff area that can be reached by vehicle on Miners Castle Road (H-11) located near Munising.

The area becomes difficult to traverse in the wintertime and can only be accessed by snowmobile, officials said.

Coast Guard officials said in a press release "even with highly specialized safety gear, recreation on and around ice and cold water is inherently dangerous."

The Coast Guard urges anyone participating in these activities to remember:
• Take precautions, not chances. Survival time in cold water is greatly diminished.
• Wear a life jacket and dress for the water temperatures, not the air temperatures. Cold water lowers body heat dramatically faster than cold air.
• Whenever possible, carry a VHF-FM radio or personal locator beacon. Remember, freezing temperatures drain batteries quickly.
• Be sure to tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return, and use the buddy system whenever possible. Every minute counts in a cold-water environment.

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