Truckee man among 6 presumed dead on Mt. Rainier
By KTVU-TV and AP
SEATTLE — A Truckee man who worked as a climbing guide for a Seattle company has been identified as one of the six people who likely fell thousands of feet to their deaths in a horrible alpine accident on Washington state’s iconic Mount Rainier.
Matt Hegeman
Matt Hegeman of Truckee worked as a guide for Seattle’s Alpine Ascents International and had climbed Mount Rainier more than 50 times.
A helicopter crew on Saturday spotted camping and climbing gear in the avalanche-prone area. It is believed the group fell 3,300 feet from their last known whereabouts of 12,800 feet on Liberty Ridge, Mount Rainier National Park spokeswoman Patricia Wold said in a statement.
“There’s not a viable chance of survival,” park Ranger Fawn Bauer told the Associated Press.