Skier's body recovered weeks after apparent 200-foot fall in Mount Rainier National Park

Sheri Walsh
·1 min read
UPI
The body of a skier, who had been missing for three weeks and "appeared to have fallen approximately 200 feet to the base of a waterfall," was recovered Saturday in Washington state's Mount Rainier National Park. Photo courtesy of National Park Service

June 12 (UPI) -- The body of a skier, who had been missing for three weeks, has been recovered from the base of a waterfall at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state.

The National Park Service said rangers recovered the woman's body Saturday from the base of Pebble Creek's Moraine Falls above Paradise.

The woman, who has not been identified, was reported missing May 19 after setting out on a ski tour at the mountain a day earlier.

The park's helicopter located the woman, "who appeared to have fallen approximately 200 feet to the base of a waterfall," within 24-hours but the location and weather made it too risky for recovery teams.

"The area was surrounded by a large, unstable snow moat that was subject to rock and ice fall, which posed too high of an immediate risk," park rangers said in a statement.

Three weeks later, the weather improved and a recovery team used a rope to lower themselves Saturday and retrieve the skier's body.

The victim was transported by helicopter to the Pierce County Medical Examiner who will confirm her identity, her age, and how she died.