Latest news with #NorthCascadesMountainGuides
Epoch Times
18-05-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
What to Know About the 400-Foot Fall That Killed 3 Climbers and the Sole Survivor Who Trekked Out
Four rock climbers fell several hundred feet while descending granite spires in Washington, leaving only one survivor who hiked out and told a 911 dispatcher that his companions were dead and he could 'hardly breathe,' according to a recording obtained on May 15 by The Associated Press. Anton Tselykh, 38, had plummeted an estimated 400 feet on the evening of May 10, suffering internal injuries and head trauma. By the morning of May 11, more than a dozen hours later, he was calling 911 from a payphone in a community some 40 miles away. 'The whole team went down,' Tselykh told the dispatcher. 'My face is very well beaten, hands and my ribs, I can hardly breathe.' Responders who eventually met Tselykh reported bruises on his head and fluid leaking from his ears, according to radio logs. Here's what we know so far about the accident and Tselykh's overnight escape. What Caused the Climbers' Fall? It was a Saturday afternoon and lightly snowing on the Early Winters Spires when the four climbers, working their way up a steep gully, decided to turn around for a descent that would claim three of their lives. On their way down, they attached their ropes to a piton—a metal spike pounded into rock cracks or ice and used to secure ropes—that had been placed by a past climber. As one of the men began rappelling off the piton, it ripped out of the mountain, sending all four plummeting past ice and snow and rock. Related Stories 4/25/2025 4/7/2025 'We basically slid and rolled down, like all of us, to the bottom of the couloir and a little bit lower,' Tselykh told the 911 dispatcher. A couloir is a sheer gully that runs down a mountain. After the fall, Tselykh lost consciousness. Pitons are oftentimes left in walls by climbers and can stay there for years or even decades, becoming less secure over time. Typically, it's common practice among climbers to set up a backup anchor, said Joshua Cole, a guide and co-owner of North Cascades Mountain Guides. But it's still unclear whether the four had a backup. How Did the Surviving Climber Escape? It's unknown why Tselykh survived the fall when the others didn't, but he awoke several hours later in a tangle of ropes. It was dark outside, and he could only find two of his companions' bodies in the dark, he told the 911 dispatcher, saying, 'I was lucky to survive.' Tselykh extricated himself from the ropes, equipment, and debris, and trekked over rock and snow—with help from a pick-like ice tool—down the mountain. 'There is no trail, basically wild,' Tselykh described to dispatch. 'I was able to descend very slow.' Arriving at his car, Tselykh drove some 40 miles and, at one point, ran into a guardrail, according to police records. Arriving in the unincorporated community of Newhalem, Tselykh called 911 early Sunday. He apologized to the dispatcher for his voice and said he could barely breathe. Despite suffering brain trauma and other serious internal injuries, he told the dispatcher that he didn't think he needed immediate medical help. 'I feel OK, I mean, I don't need emergency,' he said. The dispatcher asked him to stay were he was so that medics could check him out and authorities could take his report. He was later hospitalized. By Wednesday morning, he was in satisfactory condition at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, meaning he was not in the intensive care unit, Susan Gregg, a spokeswoman for UW Medicine, said in an email. Who Were the Climbers and How Were Their Bodies Recovered? A three-person search and rescue team responded following Tselykh's call, using coordinates from a GPS device the climbers had been carrying, said Cristina Woodworth, who heads the team. The three deceased climbers were identified as Vishnu Irigireddy, 48; Tim Nguyen, 63; and Oleksander Martynenko, 36. The rough terrain required a helicopter to remove their bodies, Woodworth said. The AP made attempts to reach several of their family members, but has not heard back. The four climbers were friends, some of whom had climbed together before and appeared fairly experienced, Woodworth said, adding that Tselykh was 'obviously very much affected by this.' Irigireddy was a vice president of engineering at the Fluke Corporation, a test equipment manufacturing company, which released a statement Wednesday. 'Vishnu was an extraordinary leader, and his loss is felt profoundly across our organization,' the statement read. Martynenko's wife, Olga, said Tuesday in a Facebook post that her husband, whom she referred to as Alex, also left behind their son. She shared a link to a fundraiser to help 'during the most devastating time of our lives.' 'I still cannot believe that you are gone, my love,' the post said. By Jesse Bedayn
14-05-2025
- Health
Climber who survived 400-foot fall that killed 3 others was unconscious before seeking pay phone
A rock climber in Washington who survived a fall of hundreds of feet that killed his three companions lay unconscious for hours before waking in the dark, trekking out with internal bleeding and driving to a pay phone to summon help, authorities said he told them on Wednesday. Speaking from a Seattle hospital, Anton Tselykh, 38, confirmed investigators' theory that an anchor, called a piton, that he and his companions were using Saturday evening to rappel down the Early Winters Spires in the North Cascade Range had ripped out of the rock. Tselykh was in satisfactory condition Wednesday morning at Harborview Medical Center, meaning he was not in the intensive care unit, Susan Gregg, media relations director for UW Medicine, said in an email. One climber was rappelling off the piton — a metal spike pounded into rock cracks or ice that climbers anchor their ropes to — and the three others were tied into it and waiting to descend, said Cristina Woodworth, who leads the sheriff's search and rescue team and spoke with Tselykh by phone. When the piton tore out of the rock, all four plunged roughly 200 feet (60 meters) past sheer mountainside, landing in a gully and tumbling another 200 feet (60 meters) before coming to a rest, said Woodworth. It's still unclear if they had a backup anchor to the piton, which is a common practice for rock climbers, said Joshua Cole, a guide and co-owner of North Cascades Mountain Guides who has been climbing in the area for about 20 years. Tselykh lost consciousness for several hours, awaking in the dark in a tangle of ropes and gear, suffering from internal bleeding and head trauma, said Woodworth. It took Tselykh eight hours to disentangle himself, work his way down the rough terrain of rock and snow — with help from a pick-like ice tool — to his car, where he drove for some 40 miles (67 kilometers) to the unincorporated community of Newhalem and called for help, authorities said. The four climbers were friends, some of whom had climbed together before and appeared fairly experienced, Woodworth said, adding that Tselykh was 'obviously very much affected by this.' The climbers who were killed were Vishnu Irigireddy, 48; Tim Nguyen, 63; and Oleksander Martynenko, 36, the county coroner said. Olga Martynenko, Martynenko's wife, said Tuesday in a Facebook post that her husband, whom she referred to as Alex, also left behind their son. She shared a link to a fundraiser to help 'during the most devastating time of our lives.' 'I still cannot believe that you are gone, my love,' she said. Fluke Corporation, a test equipment manufacturing company, shared in a statement Wednesday that Irigireddy was the manufacturer's vice president of engineering. 'Vishnu was an extraordinary leader, and his loss is felt profoundly across our organization,' the statement read.
San Francisco Chronicle
14-05-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Three climbers fell 400 feet to their death. One climber survived and drove to a pay phone
A rock climber who fell an estimated 400 feet while descending a steep gully in Washington's North Cascades mountains survived the fall that killed his three companions, hiked to his car in the dark and then drove to a pay phone to call for help, authorities said Tuesday. The surviving climber, who has not been publicly identified, extricated himself from a tangle of ropes, helmets and other equipment after the accident and made the trek despite suffering internal bleeding and head trauma, Okanogan County Undersheriff Dave Yarnell said. Falls like this leading to three deaths are extremely rare, and many details about what led up to it still aren't known, said Cristina Woodworth, who leads the sheriff's search and rescue team. Seven years ago, two climbers were killed in a fall on El Capitan at Yosemite National Park. The group of four — including the victims, aged 36, 47 and 63 — were scaling the Early Winters Spires, jagged peaks split by a cleft that's popular with climbers in the North Cascade Range, about 160 miles northeast of Seattle. The surviving climber was hospitalized in Seattle. The group of four met with disaster that night when the anchor securing their ropes appears to have failed as they were descending in a steep gully, trying to reach the spire's base, Yarnell said. They plummeted for about 200 feet into a slanted gulch and then tumbled another 200 feet before coming to rest, he said. Authorities believe the group had been ascending but turned around when they saw a storm approaching. A three-person search and rescue team reached the site of the fall Sunday, Woodworth said. The team used coordinates from a device the climbers had been carrying, which had been shared by a friend of the men. Once they found the site, they called in a helicopter to remove the bodies one at a time because of the rough terrain, Woodworth said. On Monday, responders poured over the recovered equipment trying to decipher what caused the fall, Woodworth said. They found a piton — basically a small metal spike that is driven into rock cracks or ice and used as anchors by climbers — that was still clipped into the climbers' ropes. Pitons are oftentimes left in walls. They can be there for years or even decades, and they may become less secure over time. 'It looked old and weathered, and the rest of their equipment looked newer, so we are making the assumption that it was an old piton,' Woodworth said. Rock climbers secure themselves by ropes to anchors, such as pitons or other climbing equipment. The ropes are intended to arrest their fall if they should slip, and typically climbers use backup anchors, said Joshua Cole, a guide and co-owner of North Cascades Mountain Guides, who has been climbing in the area for about 20 years. Generally, it would be unusual to rappel off a single piton, said Cole, adding that it is still unknown exactly what happened on the wall that night. 'We eventually, if possible, would like to get more information from surviving party,' Woodworth said. The spires are a popular climbing spot. The route the climbers were taking, said Cole, was of moderate difficulty, and requires moving between ice, snow and rock. But the conditions, the amount of ice versus rock for example, can change rapidly with the weather, he said, even week to week or day to day, changing the route's risks.
Hamilton Spectator
14-05-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Three climbers fell 400 feet to their death. One climber survived and drove to a pay phone
A rock climber who fell an estimated 400 feet while descending a steep gully in Washington's North Cascades mountains survived the fall that killed his three companions, hiked to his car in the dark and then drove to a pay phone to call for help, authorities said Tuesday. The surviving climber, who has not been publicly identified, extricated himself from a tangle of ropes, helmets and other equipment after the accident and made the trek despite suffering internal bleeding and head trauma, Okanogan County Undersheriff Dave Yarnell said. Falls like this leading to three deaths are extremely rare, and many details about what led up to it still aren't known, said Cristina Woodworth, who leads the sheriff's search and rescue team. Seven years ago, two climbers were killed in a fall on El Capitan at Yosemite National Park. The group of four — including the victims, aged 36, 47 and 63 — were scaling the Early Winters Spires, jagged peaks split by a cleft that's popular with climbers in the North Cascade Range, about 160 miles northeast of Seattle. The surviving climber was hospitalized in Seattle. The group of four met with disaster that night when the anchor securing their ropes appears to have failed as they were descending in a steep gully, trying to reach the spire's base, Yarnell said. They plummeted for about 200 feet into a slanted gulch and then tumbled another 200 feet before coming to rest, he said. Authorities believe the group had been ascending but turned around when they saw a storm approaching. A three-person search and rescue team reached the site of the fall Sunday, Woodworth said. The team used coordinates from a device the climbers had been carrying, which had been shared by a friend of the men. Once they found the site, they called in a helicopter to remove the bodies one at a time because of the rough terrain, Woodworth said. On Monday, responders poured over the recovered equipment trying to decipher what caused the fall, Woodworth said. They found a piton — basically a small metal spike that is driven into rock cracks or ice and used as anchors by climbers — that was still clipped into the climbers' ropes. Pitons are oftentimes left in walls. They can be there for years or even decades, and they may become less secure over time. 'It looked old and weathered, and the rest of their equipment looked newer, so we are making the assumption that it was an old piton,' Woodworth said. Rock climbers secure themselves by ropes to anchors, such as pitons or other climbing equipment. The ropes are intended to arrest their fall if they should slip, and typically climbers use backup anchors, said Joshua Cole, a guide and co-owner of North Cascades Mountain Guides, who has been climbing in the area for about 20 years. Generally, it would be unusual to rappel off a single piton, said Cole, adding that it is still unknown exactly what happened on the wall that night. 'We eventually, if possible, would like to get more information from surviving party,' Woodworth said. The spires are a popular climbing spot. The route the climbers were taking, said Cole, was of moderate difficulty, and requires moving between ice, snow and rock. But the conditions, the amount of ice versus rock for example, can change rapidly with the weather, he said, even week to week or day to day, changing the route's risks. ___ Bedayn reported from Denver.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Three climbers fell 400 feet to their death. One climber survived and drove to a payphone
A rock climber who fell an estimated 400 feet while descending a steep gully in Washington's North Cascades mountains survived the fall that killed his three companions, hiked to his car in the dark and then drove to a pay phone to call for help, authorities said Tuesday. The surviving climber, who has not been publicly identified, extricated himself from a tangle of ropes, helmets and other equipment after the accident and made the trek despite suffering internal bleeding and head trauma, Okanogan County Undersheriff Dave Yarnell said. Falls like this leading to three deaths are extremely rare, and many details about what led up to it still aren't known, said Cristina Woodworth, who leads the sheriff's search and rescue team. Seven years ago, two climbers were killed in a fall on El Capitan at Yosemite National Park. The group of four — including the victims, aged 36, 47 and 63 — were scaling the Early Winters Spires, jagged peaks split by a cleft that's popular with climbers in the North Cascade Range, about 160 miles northeast of Seattle. The surviving climber was hospitalized in Seattle. The group of four met with disaster that night when the anchor securing their ropes appears to have failed as they were descending in a steep gully, trying to reach the spire's base, Yarnell said. They plummeted for about 200 feet into a slanted gulch and then tumbled another 200 feet before coming to rest, he said. Authorities believe the group had been ascending but turned around when they saw a storm approaching. A three-person search and rescue team reached the site of the fall Sunday, Woodworth said. The team used coordinates from a device the climbers had been carrying, which had been shared by a friend of the men. Once they found the site, they called in a helicopter to remove the bodies one at a time because of the rough terrain, Woodworth said. On Monday, responders poured over the recovered equipment trying to decipher what caused the fall, Woodworth said. They found a piton — basically a small metal spike that is driven into rock cracks or ice and used as anchors by climbers — that was still clipped into the climbers' ropes. Pitons are oftentimes left in walls. They can be there for years or even decades, and they may become less secure over time. 'It looked old and weathered, and the rest of their equipment looked newer, so we are making the assumption that it was an old piton,' Woodworth said. Rock climbers secure themselves by ropes to anchors, such as pitons or other climbing equipment. The ropes are intended to arrest their fall if they should slip, and typically climbers use backup anchors, said Joshua Cole, a guide and co-owner of North Cascades Mountain Guides, who has been climbing in the area for about 20 years. Generally, it would be unusual to rappel off a single piton, said Cole, adding that it is still unknown exactly what happened on the wall that night. 'We eventually, if possible, would like to get more information from surviving party,' Woodworth said. The spires are a popular climbing spot. The route the climbers were taking, said Cole, was of moderate difficulty, and requires moving between ice, snow and rock. But the conditions, the amount of ice versus rock for example, can change rapidly with the weather, he said, even week to week or day to day, changing the route's risks. ___ Bedayn reported from Denver.
