SKAMANIA COUNTY, Wash. — An experienced hiker who had climbed summits all over the world died last week after falling into the crater on Mount St. Helens, Washington authorities said.
Roscoe “Rocky” Shorey, 42, of Washougal, survived the initial fall into the crater but died trying to climb out, rescuers told an OregonLive reporter. The stratavolcano’s infamous crater was created by a violent May 1980 eruption that killed more than 50 people.
The crater, which shortened the volcano by about 1,370 feet, is more than a mile wide and more than 2,000 feet deep in some places.
Shorey was known for his adventures both in the U.S. and abroad, many of which were documented on social media. One of his most frequent destinations was Mount Hood in Oregon, which he had climbed more than 40 times.
Shorey was also well familiar with Mount St. Helens, which he had successfully summited 27 times prior to his accident, authorities said.
His last successful climb was on March 14, according to his Instagram account. His post that day included photos, a 360-degree look at his surroundings and video of him snowboarding down the slope.
According to the Northwest Avalanche Center, Shorey was again snowboarding on the volcano on March 29 when he reached the peak.
“While standing near the top, he triggered a cornice and fell into the crater, triggering a large slab avalanche on the slope below,” a NWAC statement said of Shorey’s final climb.
Cornices, or overhangs of snow built by the wind, grow throughout the winter on the side of mountain ridges and summits, according to Avalanche.org.
“Cornices range from small wind lips of soft snow to overhangs of hard snow larger than a school bus,” the nonprofit’s website states. “They can break off the terrain suddenly and unexpectedly and can sometimes be triggered from a distance. Overhung cornices can pull back further than expected onto a flat ridge top and catch people by surprise.”
They can be dangerous, even on relatively safe climbs like Mount St. Helens, local officials said. That danger increases as temperatures rise.
“Snow cornices are difficult to detect and become weaker during warm, sunny periods,” Skamania County Sheriff’s Office officials said.
Authorities believe that is what happened to Shorey. A climbing group reached the crater around 7 a.m. the morning after his fall accident.
“The climbing group located a backpack, digital recording devices and other personal effects near the rim of the crater,” Sheriff’s Office officials said in a social media post. “Near the personal belongings, a snow cornice near the rim fractured and fell into the crater of the mountain.”
The climbers peered into the crater and spotted Shorey lying motionless about 1,200 feet below. Rescuers were airlifted to the crater to recover Shorey’s body.
The rescuers were able to deduce what happened through evidence at the scene, according to OregonLive. Their theory is that Shorey stopped to take photos and video documenting his climb, as he did in previous trips to the summit.
While standing on the cornice, it fractured and caused him to tumble. Deep gouges in the snow on the cornice indicate that Shorey caught himself but was unable to pull himself up.
He fell but survived.
Shorey found himself alone and separated from his jacket, backpack and SOS satellite device, which were at the top of the crater, OregonLive reported.
Rescuers said Shorey, dressed in snowboard boots, pants and a thin, long-sleeved shirt, attempted multiple times to climb up the nearly vertical wall of the crater. Ultimately, he fell a second time.
The second fall was fatal.
“He gave it everything he could to survive,” Derek Langdon, leader of the rescue operation, told OregonLive. “We were all thinking, like, ‘Who is this guy, who is this person?’
“He almost made it to the top.”
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