3 climbers killed in avalanche on Colchuck Peak near Leavenworth

LEAVENWORTH, Wash. — Three people died from trauma caused by an avalanche near Leavenworth on Sunday, according to a release from the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident occurred on Feb. 19 on Colchuck Peak, about 8 miles south of Leavenworth.

Chelan deputies were contacted on Monday about the avalanche.

A 53-year-old Maryland man reported that his group attempted to climb Colchuck Peak on Sunday.

The man said six climbers were in the group, but he stayed at their base camp that day.

He said the lead climber triggered an avalanche while attempting to climb the Northeast Couloir of Colchuck Peak.

Four of the climbers were swept down the couloir, around 500 feet. Three of the climbers — 60-year-old Jeannie Lee from New York, 66-year-old Yun Park from New Jersey, and 54-year-old Seong Cho from Connecticut — died as a result of trauma sustained in the fall, the report said.

The fourth climber, a 56-year-old man from New York, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was able to hike back to base camp with the remaining two. They were a 50-year-old man from New York and a 36-year-old man from New Jersey. When they arrived at camp, they sent the reporting party for help.

Once the deputies took the report, a search and rescue coordinator started gathering resources. A total of 22 rescuers from Chelan County Mounty Rescue, Chelan County Volunteer Search and Rescue and Off-Road Vehicle unit, Seattle Mountain Rescue, Tacoma Mountain Rescue and Yakima Mountain Rescue responded to the trailhead to assist with this effort.

A group of four from Chelan County Mountain Rescue responded to the lake, driven part of the way by the CCVSAR ORV unit. They reached the base camp around 1:30 pm. They determined avalanche conditions were too hazardous to continue to the deceased climbers and escorted the surviving climbers back to the trailhead.

Rescuers were not sent back to the scene Tuesday due to hazardous conditions.

“We’ve been in a multi-day storm system ... that storm cycle started on Sunday and conditions started to worsen Sunday both weather and avalanche-wise,” said Dennis D’Amico, forecast director for Northwest Avalanche Center. “That trend continued on Monday and is continuing to Tuesday.”

CCSO continues to work with Northwest Avalanche Center to assist in a recovery plan.

The avalanche occurred on the same day, Feb. 19, as the fatal avalanche in 2012 that took the life of three very experienced skiers, including Chris Rudolph, the marketing director for Stevens Pass.

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