- Written by Madeline Halpert
- BBC News, New York
image source, Getty Images
Mt. Washington's Tuckerman Valley “exposes steep cliffs and slopes below,” the U.S. Forest Service says.
A 20-year-old man died Saturday after falling 600 feet (183 meters) while skiing in a mountain valley in New Hampshire, authorities said.
Madison Saltsberg suffered “catastrophic trauma” during a fall on Mount Washington and was evacuated.
The other two suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
At 6,288 feet, it is the highest mountain in the northeastern United States and is a popular but challenging skiing destination.
The U.S. Forest Service told U.S. media that Mount Washington and the surrounding area are extremely steep ski mountaineers and are “exposed to ever-changing mountain hazards.” “These typically include avalanches, open crevasses, steep ice slopes, rockfalls and ice.”
The Forest Service says on its website that the Tuckerman Valley Trail, on the southeast side of the mountain where Saltsburg fell, has “steep exposed cliffs and lower slopes.”
“Falling or being caught in an avalanche can have dire consequences,” it warns.
The U.S. Forest Service said snow rangers and first responders were called out Saturday to rescue people on the mountain, including two others who were injured after falling and hitting rocks and ice. did.
The agency said the icy surface was creating dangerous conditions. Emergency crews carried out the rescue on an evening of heavy snow and strong winds.
The BBC has contacted the US Forest Service for more information.
Just the day before, rangers had to rescue a 23-year-old Kentucky skier who suffered hypothermia after falling and hitting his head while skiing in Ammonoosook Canyon on Mount Washington.
“On my way down to the valley, [Joabe] “Barbosa fell and hit his head and face, lost one of his sneakers, and ended up suffering from hypothermia,” New Hampshire Fish and Game officials said.
The agency said he was provided with “boots, food, hot drinks, appropriate winter clothing and a headlamp.”
