Skier Missing At Liberty Ridge On Mt. Rainier Confirmed Dead
Mattew Bunker, 28, from Seattle, was reported missing this past Friday by the other member of his climbing party. The two had been skiing, with Bunker taking up the rear. The two were at approximately 10,400 feet, near Thumb Rock. During the descent, unknown events caused Bunker to fall in steep and treacherous terrain.
During the weekend, the National Park Service's exclusive use A-Star B3 helicopter, staffed with Mount Rainier National Park climbing rangers, flew several search missions in an attempt to locate Bunker. During that time, however, several of those attempts were hindered by poor weather. On Monday the skies cleared and the winds calmed and the helicopter/ranger team was able to make a thorough search of the area. It was during that search that the body of Bunker was located.
Unfortunately, Bunker was located at the base of a cliff that is inaccessible by ground or air teams. This area is subject to continuous rock and ice fall which poses too high of a risk for rescue personnel to access the location and recover Bunker.
Matthew Bunker was also a 2013 West Point graduate and served in the military for 5 years.
Photo: The northwest side of Mt. Rainier - Credit: Peter Stevens [CC BY 2.0]
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