Washington State: (1) Cascades , Mt. St. Helens. On 21 May 1950 two parties, one of ski mountaineers and the other of Ski Patrol members, were descending the mountain, the first party roped, the second, not. One member of the latter party, Joseph Carter, did not appear at the bottom. He was last seen skiing down the east side of the Dog’s Head. An extensive search lasting until June 1st yielded only some tracks. After the incident it was learned that Carter was a diabetic. Whether this had anything to do with the accident is not known. Carter may have simply lost his way, owing to fog.

Source of information: party members.

Analysis. Here we see how letting members of a party get separated may cause a minor difficulty or accident to have most serious consequences.