Extreme weather separates Mount Rainier climbers overnight, one still missing

A climber is missing after being separated from a hiking party on Mount Rainier on Thursday.

After reaching the summit of the mountain, a party of three was traversing back down when they became separated with one of the climbers, according to Mount Rainier National Park spokesperson Patti Wold.

“The weather was very extreme,” Wold said. “I’m sure that played a role in it.”

The missing climber was last seen near Liberty Saddle on the north flank of the mountain, The Seattle Times reports.

The two hikers still together spent the night in a crevasse at 14,000 elevation, Wold said. They were able to send a text message from one of their phones to warn people of the situation.

An initial search will be conducted via Chinook helicopter from the U.S. Army Reserve’s 214th Air Division, according to Wold. The Chinook will offload rangers, who will attempt to meet up with the climbers and debrief them, she said.

Right now, the only information rescuers have is what was in the text message.

Wold said the weather isn’t supposed to let up Friday. The pilot of the Chinook will face high winds.

The area of Mount Rainier the three climbed is attempted by less than 2 percent of climbers, the Times reports. However, the route accounts for about 25 percent of all summit deaths.