Climber Still Missing in Mt. Rainier Avalanche

At 4:45 last Saturday morning a huge slab avalanche swept down the Ingraham Glacier on 14,411-foot Mount Rainier in Mount Rainier National Park, burying 11 climbers on the Ingraham Glacier Direct Route. By afternoon, ten of the climbers had been rescued. The last climber remains missing on the mountain and is presumed dead.

Snow slopes on Mount Rainier have been unstable recently with lots of fresh snow and warm temperatures. The avalanche, from 300 to 600 feet wide and three to six feet deep, began high on the glacier at 12,500 feet and slid down the mountain for 1,300 feet, trapping the climbers. One extricated himself and climbed down to Camp Muir for help. Climbing guides from International Mountain Guides and Rainier Mountaineering searched the slide area and quickly found all but one of the climbers. Two were injured and evacuated by a U.S. Army Chinook helicopter to a hospital.

The remaining missing climber was apparently alone. Ranger Stefan Lofgren says, "The missing climber did not register for his climb, so we are focusing our efforts on identifying him. Until we do, we are unable to notify his family of the situation."

Bad weather and high avalanche danger kept search and rescue personnel from conducting a thorough ground search from Saturday afternoon through yesterday. A helicopter air search also came up empty-handed. National Park officials hope that the weather improves enough today that rescuers will be able to again search the mountain for the missing climber.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center reports that there have been 34 avalanche fatalities in the United States in the current 2009 to 2010 season.

Photograph above: Early Saturday morning a slab avalanche swept down Mount Rainier, trapping 11 climbers. The avalanche path is clearly seen in this aerial photograph taken mid-day on Saturday. Photograph courtesy National Park Service