Two Climbers Fall on Grand Teton

Filed in archive Mountain Climbing on May 2, 2007

It's always unfortunate to report news like this, but, according to National Parks Traveler, two climbers died after they fell near the top of Grand Teton national park. Although their bodies were discovered on Monday, it's believed they fell sometime on Sunday. The names are being withheld until the bodies can be identified and recovered.

Unsafe conditions from snow sloughing and rockfalls are delaying recovery of the bodies until at least early tomorrow morning.

Park officials received a call Monday morning that the two were overdue from work after a planned weekend climb to the Enclosure. After that call, rangers learned there was a tent, thought to belong to the two, in the Meadows are of Garnet Canyon.

By Monday afternoon rangers hiked and skied into Garnet Canyon to check on the tent. Finding it vacant, they continued to the Lower Saddle where they bivouacked overnight. This morning they continued on toward the Enclosure Couloir on the northwest flank of the Grand.

The rangers on foot spotted one body below the Valhalla Traverse about 9:30 this morning, and the second was spotted in the same area about an hour later by rangers in a helicopter.

Thanks to National Parks Traveler for the info.