Climber missing on Mt Rainier

[Cy Kaicener]

A climber is missing on a descent from Mt Rainier

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/422766_missing02.html

[Cy Kaicener]

Update
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id ... _article=1

[Hikin_Jim]

They found his gear but not him. That's a bad sign.

HJ

[tinaballina]

It is a bad sign....I am heading up there at the end of the month, I hope it doesn't turn into tragedy.

[zippetydude]

Seems strange to unclip without your partners knowing...? Tina, have fun up there and be safe.

z

[KathyW]

Zip: It would be unusual for a climber to clip off a rope without telling the other climber(s) they are roped up with. It would also be unusual for a climber not to notice that the climber behind them had unclipped from the rope. I guess anything is possible though.

[phydeux]

Just speculating here, but maybe he wasn't securely tied into the rope with a bombproof knot (ALWAYS have someone else recheck ho you're tied in!). The knot could have come loose and the rope slid off his harness/carabiner, causing him to fall behind the others. Not out of the question in a rising storm where the snow and wind is whipping around, your goggles (or glasses) are fogging up, and you're trying to concentrate on your footing rather than the rope. And if he suddenly realized what happened and couldn't find the others, it would be prudent to get out of the storm in some type of bivy rather than try and get up/down solo with crevases all around.