FALL ON SNOW, FALL INTO CREVASSE

Washington, Mt. Baker

On October 6, William Byl (43) and Frank Forester (48) fell 20-40 feet into a crevasse on the Coleman Glacier on Mt. Baker. They were roped when one of them slipped and pulled the other one with him. Byl received back injuries and was pronounced dead when he was lifted from the crevasse by search and rescue personnel at 5:30 p.m. Forester was only slightly injured. (Source: Bellingham Herald, October 7, 1979)

Analysis

Mt. Baker crevasses presented considerable difficulty to climbers this year. In fact, this category of accident received an unusual amount of attention, along with falling through snow bridges. As the reader will note, this one year accounts for 20 percent of this category over the past 30 years. (Source: J. Williamson)