"Six climbers presumed dead on Mount Rainier; Crews find gear, avalanche beacons in remote spot" by Kirk Johnson | New York Times June 02, 2014
VANCOUVER, Wash. — Six climbers were missing and presumed dead Sunday in an avalanche or fall on Mount Rainier, in what could be the worst incident on the mountain in decades.
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Alpine Ascents International, the Seattle-based company that organized the climb, was also leading a group on Mount Everest in April when 16 Sherpas, helping preparing a route on the mountain for climbers, were killed by an ice fall.
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That's the last I saw of them.
Randy King, the superintendent of Rainier National Park, called the presumed accident “a horrific loss.”
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About 10,000 people a year climb the glacier-clad slopes of Rainier, the fifth-highest peak in the lower 48 states at 14,410 feet, and Liberty Ridge, where the accident occurred, is a more technical and difficult route used by only a small percentage of those climbers. And late spring is usually the only time of year the route is used.
The Park Service said in a statement that it was too dangerous to send rescue teams to Carbon Glacier, where the climber beacons were detected, because of the risk from further falling rock and ice. Officials said the site will be checked periodically by aircraft. “As snow melts and conditions change, potential opportunities for a helicopter-based recovery will continue to be evaluated. There is no certainty that recovery is possible given the location,” the statement said.
At least 89 people have died trying to summit Mount Rainier since 1897, according to Park Service statistics, including 11 who died in one ice fall on the Ingraham Glacier in June 1981. The last fatality on a summit attempt was in 2011, also on Liberty Ridge, according to park officials....
Alpine Ascents describes the Liberty Ridge route as one of the most technical and physically demanding climbs it does in the lower 48 states. Climbers pay $2,190 per person, are required to have technical training and climbing experience, including the use of ice axes and tools, and the ability to carry a 50-pound pack up and down stretches of slopes angled at 40 to 50 degrees..
Climbers say the mountain’s glaciers, heavy snows, and steep slopes make it an ideal mountain to train on when preparing for expeditions to higher peaks, notably to Mount McKinley in Alaska....
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Also see: Missing climber is a native of Needham
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