Latest news with #Mazama
The Independent
13-05-2025
- The Independent
Three climbers killed after falling 400ft during descent in Washington State
Three rock climbers were killed last weekend as they rappelled down a mountain when their anchor failed, causing them to fall 400 feet during a descent in the North Cascades mountains, Washington State. Authorities said in a statement Monday that the four men, from Renton and Bellevue—10 miles from the center of Seattle —had been scaling a steep gully near North Early Winters Spire off of State Route 20 near Mazama when they all fell. When Okanogan County Sheriff's Office personnel and Search and Rescue arrived at the scene at around 11.30 a.m. Sunday, three of the climbers — aged 36, 47, and 63 —were confirmed dead. All three of their bodies have been recovered. Cristina Woodworth, head of the sheriff's search and rescue team, shared that it took him 'a number of hours to self-extricate.' He reportedly sustained internal bleeding and a traumatic brain injury in the fall, reported The Seattle Times. A fourth climber who was with the group managed to free himself after the equipment failed. Multiple media reports say the fourth man, who managed to free himself from the entanglement, walked back to the trailhead and drove to a payphone to call for help. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Okanogan County Undersheriff David Yarnell said. 'He didn't realize he had as significant of internal injuries as he did,' Yarnell shared. The terrifying fall is believed to have occurred either late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, said Woodworth. As it stands, authorities believe the cause of the accident was triggered because of an anchor failure while the group were rappelling, however, an investigation is still ongoing. All four men are believed to have been tied to the same anchor point, which Yarnell said 'was not preferred.' Yarnell said the climbers noticed a storm rolling in as they were scaling the Early Winter Couloir route and descending a wedge between the north and south spires. 'All we know is that the anchor point that they were all tied off to failed,' Yarnell told The Seattle Times. Woodworth said they all plummeted approximately 400 feet. Their names have not yet been released.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
3 climbers die in fatal fall in North Cascades, survivor flown to Harborview
The Brief Three climbers suffered a fatal fall while coming down from a steep climb in Mazama's Early Winter Spires area. Search and rescue crews got the call on Sunday from a fourth climber who made it out alive, now recovering in Seattle. MAZAMA, Wash. - Three people are dead, and another one is fighting for their life after a climbing accident in Okanogan County took a tragic turn. What we know The Okanogan County Sheriff's Office says the climbers fell while coming down from a very steep climb in Mazama's Early Winter Spires area. That survivor was able to climb out and call for help, then they were air-lifted to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of injuries. "This was a pretty big incident for us," said Christina Woodworth, Search and Rescue Coordinator for the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office. Search and rescue coordinator Christina Woodworth says a fourth climber with the group made it out and that's what alerted their team that they needed to jump into action. The Okanogan County Sheriff's Office tells FOX 13 that the group was about 16 miles west of Mazama, climbing near the North Early Winters Spire. "It was decently nice down in the valley, but I did hear that this climbing party encountered some bad weather up in the mountains and that's what caused them to descend," said Woodworth. FOX 13 crews were told there may have been a problem with an anchor that was being used while the group was rappelling. Woodworth says the four victims fell while descending a steep gully while they were at around 6,500 feet. "They fell about 200 feet of pretty vertical terrain, along with probably several hundred more feet of tumbling more moderate terrain," said Woodworth. FOX 13 talked to a friend of the climbers briefly by phone. She said they would want to be in peace, adding that two were from Renton, one from Bellevue. While the surviving member of the group recovers, the climbing community has also been offering them words of support online and condolences for those lost. "We don't often have incidents with this many fatalities," said Woodworth. Although there is an inherent risk involved with climbing, she says there are things climbers can do to protect themselves. "We would say if you are recreating, make sure to double-check you built an adequate anchor for what you are doing," said Woodworth. Woodworth says as soon as Highway 20 opens in the spring, rescue teams tend to respond to more search and rescue incidents in the area. The names of those who have fallen have not yet been released. The Source Information in this story came from the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews. Foods recalled for listeria sold in WA WA Gov. Ferguson to sign reckless speeding bill Military vehicle crashes over I-90 wall in Bellevue, WA Triplet siblings of murdered Idaho student graduate without him Park safety top of mind as confusion surrounds Seattle nude beach New area code coming to Seattle area in June. What to know WA's first In-N-Out gets closer to opening date To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
3 climbers die in rock climbing accident; 1 survivor
Three people have died, and one person survived after a rock-climbing accident in Washington on Sunday. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Four climbers fell while descending from a steep gully, according to the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office. Our sister station, KIRO TV in Seattle, said it happened in the area of North Early Winters Spire. It is a rock formation 16 miles west of Mazama, Washington, and popular with rock climbers. TRENDING STORIES: Police looking for man, woman accused of paying $1K less for items after altering barcodes Officers, medics respond to reported shooting in Dayton neighborhood DoorDash driver robbed at gunpoint while making delivery in Ohio neighborhood, police say Three people died at the scene, and another person got themselves to safety to get help. The sheriff's office said that the presumed cause of the accident is an anchor failure while rappelling. KIRO TV says that rappelling is a rock-climbing technique used to descend a vertical surface, like a wall or cliff, by sliding down a rope. It's a controlled descent where the rope is anchored at the top of the mountain. The Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue team pulled the three bodies from mountainous terrain, the sheriff's office said. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
CNN
13-05-2025
- CNN
Possible anchoring failure leaves 3 climbers dead in Washington state
FacebookTweetLink Follow Three people died and one other person was able to free themself during a climbing accident in Washington state, authorities said Monday. Authorities responded to the scene Sunday as the victims had fallen 'while descending a steep gully' in the North Cascades, the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office said. Authorities said they believe a part of their anchoring system failed. 'Three individuals were confirmed deceased at the accident site. The fourth member of the party self-extricated and contacted law enforcement,' the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office said of the four climbers from Renton. Those killed were ages 36, 47 and 63, according to the office. 'The presumed cause of the accident is an anchor failure while rappelling, with more investigation still ongoing,' the sheriff's office added. The climbers were in the area of North Early Winters Spire when the accident occurred, authorities said. The site is about 16 miles west of Mazama.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
3 climbers dead after falling off mountain while rappelling
Three people are dead, and another is injured after falling off of a mountain in a climbing accident involving a suspected failed anchor while they were rappelling, police said. The Okanogan County Sheriff's Office, along with Okanogan County Search and Rescue volunteers, received a call at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Sunday about a climbing accident in the area of North Early Winters Spire off of State Route 20 -- approximately 16 miles west of Mazama, Washington, according to a statement from the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office. MORE: Woman arrested after raccoon named Chewy found with meth pipe in driver's seat during police stop 'A party of four climbers from Renton, WA, were involved in a fall while descending a steep gully,' police said. 'Three individuals were confirmed deceased at the accident site. The fourth member of the party self-extricated and contacted law enforcement.' Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team assisted in extricating the deceased members of the party from the technical, mountainous terrain,' according to authorities. MORE: Parents arrested after their 1-year-old tests positive for fentanyl and THC MORE: Sheila the runaway kangaroo causes car crash, shuts down Alabama highway 'The presumed cause of the accident is an anchor failure while rappelling, with more investigation still ongoing,' officials said. 'The Okanogan County Sheriff's Office would like to thank the SAR volunteers and Snohomish County for assisting in this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with the family members and friends of those involved.' The climbers involved in the incident have not yet been publicly identified but they were confirmed to be 36, 47 and 63 years old. The investigation into their deaths are currently ongoing. 3 climbers dead after falling off mountain while rappelling originally appeared on
