Mount Rainier Rescue..>5-10-11

not to nit-pick, but regarding the details of Lee's accident. I believe Lee was the furthest downhill on the rope team during their descent... there were four total on the rope. They were crossing a sketchy snowbridge and the last climber (furthest uphill) slipped after jumping the snowbridge. The three other climbers on Lee's rope were unable to arrest and sling-shotted past Lee. Lee slowed the rope team's fall into the crevasse but when he went in, there was no one above him.

My condolences to Tucker's friends and family...looks like yesterday had some nice weather on the mountain and that coulda been any of us up there. I hope there aren't any more accidents this year...this season has already had far too many tragedies.

Here is the Seattle Times obit up about Lee's unfortunate death -- I was incorrect about the number of climbers on the rope team.

www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/o...-adams&pid=144377855

Does anybody know any more details about the descent being attempted? Looking at the king5 video, it looked like the rescue took place just above the Nisqually Ice Cliff. If that was the objective, wow. Can you extreme skiers out there comment on what descents are possible from there?

Does anyone have any more info on who was in the group that had the accident? I have a friend in from out of town who was supposed to be on that part of the mountain w/in this timeframe and I've been having trouble reaching him. Does anyone know if the group is now off the mountain?

I could be wrong but from the King5 video it looks like the accident was skier's right of the Nisqually Cleaver. From that location it should be possible to reach the Fuhrer Finger, not sure what other (more extreme) fall-line options are in this year. I think Seth's recent descent of the icecliff would have been skier's _left_ of the cleaver, correct?

Regardless, condolences to the victim and his group. This is the low-chance, extreme consequence accident that any glacier skier worries about and hopes never happens.

at the risk of sounding too pragmatic.. i am wondering:

1) did the remaining skiers start setting up a rope pully system?
2) or did the skier that fell have the rope
3) or did they not have a rope