BIG PINE, Calif., Aug. 11 (Bishop Times) — A climber died after falling down a steep, snow-covered slope while descending Mount Sill in the North Couloir area of the Palisade Glacier on Monday, June 29, Inyo County Search and Rescue said.
The second climber called 911 after the fall. The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue responded, coordinating with Fresno CHP Air Operations on a technical rescue.
Two rescuers were flown to the Mount Sill Glacier at an elevation of 12,500 feet, about 600 feet below the climber. An unexpected snowstorm then stopped further helicopter operations for the night.
The rescuers and the surviving climber spent the night in a bergschrund, a crevasse near the glacier. The fallen climber died during the night, according to Search and Rescue.
At first light, additional rescuers were flown into the area. They recovered the deceased climber and brought the surviving climber down the glacier to a waiting helicopter.
Search and Rescue said it extended condolences to the family and loved ones affected by the death. The agency did not identify either climber in the information cited in its report.
