On July 25, an experienced climber from Kennewick, Washington, slipped and fell to his death while traversing a glacier high on the slopes of 10,495-foot Mt. Jefferson (likely on the Whitewater Glacier route). David Freepons, 68, who had decades of mountaineering experience, fell on the east side of the mountain at about 9,500 feet and hit a rocky outcrop during his slide. Freepons was found deceased by his three fellow climbers about 600 feet downhill from the site of his fall.

ANALYSIS

According to one member of the climber’s team, Freepons was her climbing mentor and a leader in her mountaineering community. She said the group was properly equipped and had taken appropriate safety precautions. (Source: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and news reports.)