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4w ago

Hiker Dies on Mount Whitney After Partner Turns Back During Winter Ascent

Officials emphasize that winter ascents require mountaineering skills, with the recovery below the icy “Final 400” underscoring the risk.

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Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous U.S., seen in 2023.
FILE: Morning sunlight over Mount Whitney, Oct. 8, 2014. The body of a hiker who went missing on Mount Whitney over the weekend was found Monday afternoon, officials said.
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Overview

  • Two hikers began an overnight climb around 11:30 p.m. Saturday; near 12,500 feet on Sunday afternoon, one turned back as the other continued alone.
  • After the climber failed to return by Monday morning, Inyo County Search & Rescue started a search supported by a California Highway Patrol helicopter.
  • The body was found on the north face below the Final 400 on the Mountaineer’s Route, and the location fell under Tulare County jurisdiction.
  • Inyo SAR said winter ascents are technical mountaineering and urged crampons, an ice axe, group travel and satellite communication devices.
  • The death is the third reported on Mount Whitney this season and follows other recent winter fatalities, including on Mount Baldy.