In the afternoon of June 26, Matthew Bunker (28) was descending on skis when he fell on steep terrain around 10,400 feet, just below Thumb Rock, the high camp for the Liberty Ridge route. His partner reported Bunker missing at about 3 p.m. Climbing rangers conducted several aerial searches, but severe winds and clouds hampered search efforts until June 29, when a ranger spotted Bunker’s body in a crevasse. Park officials said they were unable to recover the body because of continuous rockfall and icefall hazards. (Source: Mt. Rainier National Park.)

ANALYSIS

It’s unknown what caused the skier to fall. Depending on the snow surface, it would have been difficult to impossible for a skier to arrest a slide on this terrain. (Source: The Editors.)