Current:Home > StocksExperienced climber found dead in Mount St. Helens volcano crater 1,200 feet below summit -TrueNorth Finance Path
Experienced climber found dead in Mount St. Helens volcano crater 1,200 feet below summit
EchoSense View
Date:2025-04-08 07:47:22
An experienced climber was found dead on Saturday inside the crater of Mount St. Helens, a volcano in Washington state that draws hikers, skiers and snowboarders year-round. Officials say he was attempting to snowboard and died after falling roughly 1,200 feet from the summit, where an icy ridge had cracked off near the rim beneath his feet.
The climber was identified as Roscoe "Rocky" Shorey, a 42-year-old from Washougal, Washington, according to the Skamania County Sheriff's Office. In a statement, the office called Shorey "an experienced mountain climber" who had successfully reached the summit of Mount St. Helens 28 times before.
When he arrived at the summit of Mount St. Helens, authorities believe that Shorey encountered an enormous cornice that proceeded to break away from the rest of the volcano and crash inward into the crater. A cornice is essentially an overhanging block of snow that is tightly-packed and perched atop a mountain crest or ridge. They can become less sturdy and harder to detect in warmer weather.
The sheriff said that Shorey's body was discovered Saturday by a group of climbers who reached the mountain's summit at around 7 a.m. and noticed various personal items near the rim of the crater, including a backpack and digital recording devices. Close by, a snow cornice had broken off and tipped into the crater.
A search and rescue team was able to successfully recover the body after being airlifted into the crater itself and then walking on foot to the remains.
"The Skamania County Sheriff's Office would like to remind climbers of the dangers warmer weather brings to the local mountain attractions," their statement said.
The sheriff's office will work with search and rescue crews to compile a more thorough report on the circumstances surrounding Shorey's death, with input from the Northwest Avalanche Center. A preliminary report from the avalanche center included findings similar to those released by the sheriff.
"NWAC is saddened to report an avalanche fatality as a result of a cornice fall on Mount St. Helens," the center said in a statement. "On Friday, March 29, 2024, a snowboarder summited the peak. While standing near the top, he triggered a cornice and fell to his death. Our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and community."
Preliminary Report: NWAC is saddened to report an avalanche fatality as a result of a cornice fall on Mount St. Helens....
Posted by Northwest Avalanche Center on Saturday, March 30, 2024
Located inside a national park in the Pacific Northwest, Mount St. Helens stands about 50 miles north of Portland and 100 miles south of Seattle. It is an active stratovolcano, with a conical shape composed of many layers of hardened lava and other volcanic material that towers over neighboring mountain ranges at an elevation of more than 8,300 feet. After the volcano infamously erupted in 1980, there is a massive crater extending two miles across the top, where its peak once was.
Although there was continuous volcanic activity happening at Mount St. Helens for decades after the deadly eruption, officials have estimated that thousands of people visit the crater rim every year, among even more who visit the park and keep lower to the ground. Permits are required for climbers to summit the volcano past 4,000 feet.
- In:
- Washington
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.
Twitter InstagramveryGood! (8)
Related
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- At March on Washington’s 60th anniversary, leaders seek energy of original movement for civil rights
- Tropical Storm Harold makes landfall on Texas coast. It is expected to bring rain along the border
- Bachelor Nation's Jason Tartick Reflects on Tidal Waves of Depression Amid Kaitlyn Bristowe Breakup
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Drones downed in Moscow and surrounding region with no casualties, Russian officials say
- Chipotle IQ is back: How to take the test, what to know about trivia game
- Larry Rudolph, wealthy dentist convicted of killing wife on African safari, sentenced to life in prison
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- 'Frasier' returns: Kelsey Grammer's premiere date, updated theme song revealed
Ranking
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Man dies while trying to rescue estranged wife and her son from river in New Hampshire
- A failed lunar mission dents Russian pride and reflects deeper problems with Moscow’s space industry
- Prosecutors prepare evidence in trial of 3 men accused in plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Thaksin moved from prison to a hospital less than a day after he returned to Thailand from exile
- In his new book ‘The Fall,’ author Michael Wolff foresees the demise of Fox News
- 'Bottoms' is an absurdist high school sex comedy that rages and soars
Recommendation
NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
UPS workers approve 5-year contract, capping contentious negotiations
Harvard's Drew Gilpin Faust says history should make us uncomfortable
Huntsville City Council member pleads guilty in shoplifting case; banned from Walmart
Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
Texas Supreme Court denies request to delay new election law despite lawsuit challenging it
In California Pride flag shooting, a suspect identified and a community galvanized
Heidi Klum Reveals She Eats 900 Calories a Day, Including This Daily Breakfast Habit