Hiker stumbles upon body months after climber vanished in avalanche, Washington cops say
A hiker stumbled upon the body of a missing climber on a Washington mountain more than three months after she was swept away in an avalanche with three other people, deputies said.
A Chelan County Mountain Rescue volunteer was at the base of Colchuck Peak on Monday, May 29, when he spotted a body, the county sheriff’s office said in a news release.
The body belonged to Jeannie Lee, a 60-year-old woman from Bayside, New York, deputies said.
She was part of a group of six that was climbing Colchuck Peak on Feb. 19 when the lead climber triggered an avalanche, McClatchy News previously reported.
Four people were carried about 500 feet down the mountain and buried in snow, deputies said.
A 56-year-old man from New York survived the avalanche with non-life-threatening injuries and hiked back to camp with the two other climbers.
Seong Cho, a 54-year-old man living in West Hartford, Connecticut, was found dead at the base of the peak on Feb. 24.
The body of Yun Park, a 66-year-old man from Palisades Park, New Jersey, has not been found yet, deputies said.
Although the warm weather has caused the snow to melt, deputies said it’s still not safe to conduct a “thorough search” for the missing climber.
Colchuck Peak is about 8 miles southwest of Leavenworth.
What to know about avalanches
Avalanches happen quickly and catch people by surprise. They can move between 60 and 80 mph and typically happen on slopes of 30-45 degrees, according to experts.
Skiers, snowmobilers and hikers can set off an avalanche when a layer of snow collapses and starts to slide down the slope.
In the U.S., avalanches are most common from December to April, but they can happen at any time if the conditions are right, National Geographic reported.
At least 27 people in the U.S. have died in avalanches this season as of May 30, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
People heading into snow should always check the local avalanche forecast at Avalanche.org, officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, and have an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel ready.
“Emergency services are usually too far away from the scene of an avalanche, and time is important,” said Simon Trautman, a national avalanche specialist. “A person trapped under the snow may not have more than 20 or 30 minutes. So, in a backcountry scenario, you are your own rescue party.”
If an avalanche breaks out, it’s best to move diagonal to the avalanche to an edge, Trautman said.
“Try to orient your feet downhill so that your lower body, not your head, takes most of the impact,” officials said. “You may also get into a tight ball as another way to protect your head.”
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