A 20-year-old backcountry skier died after falling 600 feet down a ravine on Mount Washington in New Hampshire over the weekend, according to officials, who said two other people were rescued.
Madison Saltsburg fell approximately 600 vertical feet down Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington on Saturday and died as a result of his injuries, according to a news release from the US Forest Service issued on Sunday.
Responding Mount Washington Avalanche Center (MWAC) officials stated that they were working to evacuate Saltsburg from the mountain.
The MWAC Snow Ranger team responded to two additional skiers who had suffered serious injuries from rocks and ice while falling down the solid and slick snow surface, according to the release.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Mount Washington, anticipating up to one foot of wet, heavy snow and high winds.
“Throughout the year, this very steep ski mountaineering terrain and other areas around Mount Washington are subject to ever-changing mountain hazards,” noted the U.S. Forest Service. “These commonly include avalanches, open crevasse holes, icy steep slopes, and falling rocks and ice.”
Mount Washington is the highest point in the northeast of the United States.
