Mt. Rainier
Chun Hui Zhang, 52, of Surrey, British Columbia has fallen to his death on Mount Rainier.
He was reportedly on a private summit climb with friends on Aug. 22 when witnesses reported seeing him take a “substantial fall” on the Disappointment Cleaver route, the National Park Service said in a news release.
Mountain climbing guides and rangers failed to locate him, and he was found the next day with help from a helicopter.
Ben Welch, senior officer at Mount Rainier National Park, said officials did not know whether he was using a safety rope, which isn’t required.
Zhang was descending the mountain when two International Mountain Guides staffers preparing for a private, guided climb saw him fall, according to Welch and to the park service statement.
The guides helped other climbers in the area get to safety, the statement said.
It took several unsuccessful attempts to find Zhang’s body, the service said. His remains were recovered on Aug. 23 by park rangers with the help of a National Park Service helicopter.
According to the park service, thousands of mountaineers reach the peak of Mount Rainier each year.
The Disappointment Cleaver-Ingraham Glacier Direct route is the most popular, representing 75% of all summit attempts. Fifty percent of all Mount Rainier summit attempts are successful, with “climber fatigue” cited as the most common reason for turning back.