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35-year-old Seattle climber dies in fall at Mount Rainier National Park

Published  August 16, 2018 5:20pm PDT
Associated Press

MOUNT RAINIER, Wash. (AP) — A 35-year-old climber died in a fall while rappelling off a peak in Mount Rainier National Park, officials said Thursday.

The News Tribune in Tacoma reports Stephen Kornbluth of Seattle summited 6,710-foot Dewey Peak with two friends Tuesday after climbing the mountain's west face.

Park spokesman Kevin Bacher says Kornbluth's two partners rappelled safely before he started to come down and it's unclear what caused Kornbluth to fall.

Bacher says rangers are investigating.

After Kornbluth fell, Bacher says the other climbers called 911 and activated an emergency beacon before descending to where he landed. They performed CPR but Kornbluth was unresponsive.

Rugged terrain and the late hour kept rangers and search teams from reaching Kornbluth until Wednesday, when they recovered his body with a helicopter.