Colchuck Peak (2,653m), Central Washington, USA - mountaimeering, avalanche

"..A group of six climbers were on Colchuck Peak when the lead climber triggered an avalanche that buried climbers below them..."

Three climbers were killed by an avalanche on Colchuck Peak in Central Washington. The accident occurred at around 1 p.m. on Sunday and was triggered by the lead climber who planted his ice ax and triggered a slab that they were on to slide. The mountain is close to Cascade Mountains Village of Leavenworth east of Seattle. The deceased included a man, 53, from Connecticut; a woman, 60, from New York state; and another man, 66, from New Jersey. The Chelan County Sheriff's office reported that no climber was to blame for the incident, and that the climbers died of trauma and not from being buried. The accident is the latest in a series of avalanches in Canada and the United States this winter, which have caused at least nine deaths in western Canada alone. 



Avalanche Kills Three Climbers in U.S.A.


The body of Seong Cho, one of the three climbers killed in a snowslide on Colchuck Peak five days ago, was recovered by a helicopter search on Friday. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office stated that the body of Seong Cho was found at the base of Colchuck under a thin layer of snow. The other two fallen climbers, Jeannie Lee and Yun Park, have yet to be recovered. The remaining member of the climbing party survived the avalanche with injuries. The search was aided by clear conditions, but ground conditions remain too unsafe for searchers to enter the area on foot. Colchuck Peak is a challenging climb, and the Northwest Avalanche Center had warned of heightened danger on the day of the fatal climb.

Body recovered from fatal Colchuck avalanche


Location: Colchuck Peak, Washington 98826, USA

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