FALL ON ROCK, CLIMBING UNROPED Washington, Sloan Peak ...

FALL ON ROCK, CLIMBING UNROPED W ashington, Sloan Peak M a tth e w S tro m in g e r (22) fell 1,000 feet to his d e a th on S lo an P eak on J u ly 15. H e a n d his tw o p a rtn e rs w ere o n ly a few h u n d r e d feet from th e su m m it of th e 7,835-foot peak. S tro m in g e r w as p a rt of a se v e n -m e m b e r e x p e d itio n a tta c h e d to th e N a tio n a l O u td o o r L e a d e rs h ip School (N O L S ), a n o n p ro fit g ro u p b a se d in L a n d e r, W y o m in g , th a t tea ch e s w ild ern e ss a n d c o n se rv a tio n skills. T h e o rg a n iz a tio n has b ra n c h e s in A laska, B aja C a lifo rn ia , A frica a n d W a s h in g to n sta te , a c c o rd in g to its d ire c to r, C h a rle s Ia lla. Ia lla sa id M o n d a y n ig h t in a te le p h o n e in terv iew th a t S tro m in g e r a n d tw o o th e r c lim b ers d e c id e d to try a n d scale S lo a n P e a k w h ile th e ir four c o m p a n io n s d e cid ed to hike to a low er level. Ia lla sa id th e a c c id e n t o c c u rre d w h e n S tro m in g e r a n d his tw o c o m p a n io n s w ere tra v e rsin g a slope. S tro m in g e r fell a b o u t 10 a .m . T h e o th e r c lim b e rs th e n re tre a te d to th e p o in t w here th e y h a d seen his b o d y d isa p p e a r. D e te rm in in g th a t th e y co u ld n o t safely re a c h him , th e g ro u p h ik e d te n m iles to D a rrin g to n , th e n e a re st to w n w ith a te le p h o n e , a b o u t 90 m iles n o rth e a s t of S eattle. T h e y re p o rte d th e a c c id e n t to th e S n o h o m ish C o u n ty S h e riff’s D e p a rtm e n t S u n d a y n ig h t. S tro m in g e r lost a h a n d h o ld on a ro ck above his h e ad , shifting too m u c h w eig h t to one foot, w h ic h in tu rn c a u se d th e ledge he w as s ta n d in g o n to give w ay. A c co rd in g to Sgt. J o h n T a y lo r, h e a d of th e 1 2 -m an re scu e te a m a tta c h e d to th e S n o h o m ish C o u n ty S h e riff’s D e p a rtm e n t, S tro m in g e r w as fo u n d b e n e a th a g lac ier in a n ice cave a t th e 6,400-foot level. A lth o u g h th e a ir te m p e ra tu re o n th e m o u n ta in w as 80 degrees, T a y lo r sa id it w as n e a r freezing u n d e rn e a th th e g lac ier as re scu e rs, c la d in r a in g e a r to w a rd off c a s c a d in g m e ltin g w a te r, c a u tio u sly m a d e th e ir w ay to th e a c c id e n t victim . (S ource: Seattle Post Intelligencer, J u ly 16, 1979).

Analysis T h e g ro u p w as not u sin g ropes a t th e tim e. (S o u rce: Seattle Post Intelligencer, J u ly 16, 1979, q u o tin g Sgt. J o h n T a y lo r.)