Climber Found Dead on Mountain, but It Took Officials Days to Be Able to Recover Body

Climber Found Dead on Mountain, but It Took Officials Days to Be Able to Recover Body https://ift.tt/qI0Q98c

Officials were finally able to reach the climber’s body on Oct. 25, by which point their remains were “covered in show”

Mount Whitney
Credit: Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Motel staff in Lone Pine, Calif., notified authorities on Oct. 19 of a guest who failed to check out and left behind their belongings
• Authorities said the climber was planning to hike the Mount Whitney area
• On Oct. 25, officials recovered the unidentified victim’s body from the mountain

The body of a climber was recovered from California’s Mount Whitney after motel staff reported that the guest had failed to check out.

Motel staff in Lone Pine notified officials about a guest who did not check out and left their personal belongings behind on Oct. 19, around 9:40 p.m. local time, according to a news release from the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office.

Additionally, staff said that the guest, who has not yet been publicly identified, “had planned to hike in the area.”

“Deputies initially had limited information regarding the individual’s intended route or whereabouts,” the sheriff’s office said, noting that attempts to contact the climber through the department’s Rapid Deploy messaging system “went unanswered.”

The following day at approximately 1:00 p.m., the climber’s vehicle was found at Whitney Portal and officials were able to confirm that the climber “had a permit for the Mountaineer’s Route on October 18.”

Later that day, a California Highway Patrol helicopter spotted a deceased climber along the Mountaineer’s Route on Mount Whitney, but an incoming storm system hampered efforts to retrieve the body. 

About five days later, on Sunday, Oct. 25, weather conditions had improved, which enabled first responders to resume recovery efforts.

A CHP helicopter brought an Inyo County Search and Rescue team to Iceberg Lake. From there, the search team traveled through snow and ice and found the climber, “whose remains were covered in snow.”

A helicopter hoisted the victim from an elevation of about 13,600 feet, the sheriff’s office said. A positive identification will be made by the Inyo County Coroner’s Office.

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“The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office extends its sincere condolences to the individual’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the department said in a statement.