Climber falls 40 feet, another missing after ice column collapses, Utah sheriff says
UPDATE: The ice climber missing after an ice column fell on their group has been found dead, according to a Utah sheriff.
The woman died after pushing a “fellow climber” out of the way of the falling ice, the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office said in an April 4 Facebook post.
The climber was found at about 2:30 p.m. Monday, April 3, according to an updated Facebook post from the sheriff’s office.
The original story is below.
An ice column fractured and fell as a group of three climbers were climbing an icefall, a Utah sheriff said.
One of the ice climbers, who was not hurt, climbed down and drove to Duchesne City from the icefall in “Duchesne County near Indian Canyon” and called 911 on Sunday, April 2, the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office said in an April 3 Facebook post.
Another climber was seriously injured after falling 40 feet “when the ice column fractured,” the sheriff’s office said. They were airlifted from the area.
The third climber is still missing, according to deputies.
The sheriff’s office said rescuers from multiple counties, including Duchesne and Wasatch counties, as well as “volunteer ice climbers” are searching for the missing climber.
Duchesne County is about 100 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.
This story was originally published April 3, 2023 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Climber falls 40 feet, another missing after ice column collapses, Utah sheriff says."
