Current:Home > BackBackcountry skier dies after falling 600 feet down Mount Washington ravine-LoTradeCoin
Backcountry skier dies after falling 600 feet down Mount Washington ravine
View Date:2024-12-24 09:18:00
A backcountry skier died after falling about 600 feet down a ravine on New Hampshire's Mount Washington over the weekend amid hard and icy conditions, officials said Sunday.
On Saturday, Madison Saltsburg, 20, fell roughly 600 feet down the Tuckerman Ravine, a glacial cirque on the southeast face of Mount Washington, according to a news release from the U.S. Forest Service. Saltsburg "suffered fatal traumatic injuries" and was evacuated off the mountain by teams from the Mount Washington Avalanche Center and U.S. Forest Service.
The steep bowl draws thousands of skiers, snowboarders, and hikers each year, according to the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development. Known for its deep snow and challenging terrain, the ravine is a popular spot for backcountry skiers and snowboarders.
But the U.S. Forest Service said firm and icy conditions due to lack of recent snow and cold temperatures created dangerous conditions in the bowl over the weekend. Several accidents occurred on Saturday, prompting hourslong search efforts as rescuers faced heavy, wet snow, and winds.
"Throughout the year, this very steep ski mountaineering terrain, and other areas around Mount Washington, are subject to ever-changing mountain hazards," according to the U.S. Forest Service. "These commonly include avalanches, open crevasse holes, icy steep slopes, and falling rocks and ice."
California blizzard:How much snow fell in Northern California and the Sierra Nevada? Snowfall over 7 feet
'Unforgiving conditions for a slip and fall'
Saltsburg and her skiing companion were faced with "hard, icy snow surfaces, open crevasse holes, and unforgiving conditions for a slip and fall," the U.S. Forest Service said.
Colleen Mainville, a spokesperson with the U.S. Forest Service, told The Associated Press that snow rangers and emergency personnel had been in the mountain late Saturday. "They’re exhausted," Mainville said.
Snow rangers also responded to two other skiers who suffered traumatic injuries after falling down and hitting rocks and ice, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Their injuries were non-life threatening, Mainville said.
In addition to those incidents, the U.S. Forest Service said there were multiple falls witnessed throughout the day that did not result in serious injuries.
Mount Washington known for challenging conditions
Tuckerman Ravine is most popular during the spring when the sun begins to soften the snow. On some days, hundreds of skiers and snowboarders make the 3-mile hike to the ravine.
But at 6,288 feet, Mount Washington is the tallest peak in the Northeast and is often a site for rescues. While the avalanche forecast on Saturday was low, according to the U.S. Forest Service, springtime mountain hazards had posed a significant risk for visitors.
On Friday, a 23-year-old hiker from Kentucky was rescued from the mountain after going off trail and into the Ammonoosuc Ravine, New Hampshire Fish and Game reported. The hiker “fell and hit his head and face, lost one of his sneakers, and eventually became hypothermic,” the agency said in a statement.
In February, another hiker was rescued from the Ammonoosuc Ravine after hitting a patch of snow-covered ice and sliding hundreds of feet down the ravine. The incident sparked a rescue mission that would last 11 hours and the hiker later admitted that he was unprepared for the hike.
Snow sports come with risks:Palisades avalanche near Lake Tahoe is a reminder of the dangers of snow sports
Dangers of snow sports
Numerous incidents involving snow sports have made national headlines in recent years, including an avalanche that barreled down a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe, killing one and injuring three others in January. Later in that same month, first responders in Vermont rescued 23 skiers and snowboarders from the backcountry amid deadly temperatures.
The incidents reminded winter recreationists across the country of the dangers of snow sports. Skiers and snowboarders have been advised by industry experts, such as the National Ski Areas Association, to be aware of dangerous weather, changing snow conditions, machinery working on slopes, and other recreationists.
Over the 2022-23 U.S. ski season, the organization reported 46 skier and snowboarder fatalities in ski areas. The total number of fatalities for the season was slightly higher than the 10-year industry average of 42 fatalities a season, according to the group.
The primary factors of fatal incidents included speed, loss of control, and collisions with objects on slopes. The season also had record-breaking snowfall, the ski areas association said, which contributed to an "unusually high number" of deep-snow immersion fatalities.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
veryGood! (67674)
Related
- Mariah Carey's Amazon Holiday Merch Is All I Want for Christmas—and It's Selling Out Fast!
- Workers uncover eight mummies and pre-Inca objects while expanding the gas network in Peru
- 3 shot and killed in targeted attack in Atlanta, police say
- Bo Nix, No. 10 Oregon slam brakes on Coach Prime’s ‘Cinderella story’ with a 42-6 rout of Colorado
- New Jersey will issue a drought warning after driest October ever and as wildfires rage
- Tropical Storm Ophelia weakens to a depression
- Bribery case against Sen. Menendez shines light on powerful NJ developer accused of corruption
- New body camera footage shows East Palestine train derailment evacuation efforts
- Jennifer Hudson, Kylie Minogue and Billy Porter to perform at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
- Louisiana folklorist and Mississippi blues musician among 2023 National Heritage Fellows
Ranking
- 'I know how to do math': New Red Lobster CEO says endless shrimp deal is not coming back
- A boy's killing led New Mexico's governor to issue a gun ban. Arrests have been made in the case, police say.
- Summer 2023 ends: Hotter summers are coming and could bring outdoor work bans, bumpy roads
- Lebanese and Israeli troops fire tear gas along the tense border in a disputed area
- Justice Department says jail conditions in Georgia’s Fulton County violate detainee rights
- Nic Kerdiles, Savannah Chrisley's Ex, Dead at 29 After Motorcycle Crash
- Science paints a new picture of the ancient past, when we mixed and mated with other kinds of humans
- In Milan, Ferragamo’s Maximilian Davis woos the red carpet with hard-soft mix and fetish detailing
Recommendation
-
Tennessee fugitive accused of killing a man and lying about a bear chase is caught in South Carolina
-
5 dead as train strikes SUV in Florida, sheriff says
-
Risk factor for Parkinson's discovered in genes from people of African descent
-
A bombing at a checkpoint in Somalia killed at least 18 people, authorities say
-
In an AP interview, the next Los Angeles DA says he’ll go after low-level nonviolent crimes
-
Oklahoma judge arrested in Austin, Texas, accused of shooting parked cars, rear-ending another
-
Samples of asteroid Bennu are coming to Earth Sunday. Could the whole thing be next?
-
California bill to have humans drivers ride in autonomous trucks is vetoed by governor