The collapse of an overhanging mass of snow has sent an experienced mountain climber plummeting to his death in the crater of Mount St. Helens in Washington.
Roscoe Shorey, 42, had reached the summit of the volcano 28 times prior to his final attempt on Friday, the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Monday.
Mr. Shorey reached the top once more, but stood on a cornice, which is a mass of snow that hangs over the edges of mountains.
The cornice was weakened by warmer temperatures and the sun and collapsed, causing the fatal fall and an avalanche, the nonprofit Northwest Avalanche Center said in a Facebook post.
Mr. Shorey‘s belongings were found near the crater rim Saturday morning, and his body was recovered 1,200 feet below the summit inside the crater, the sheriff’s office said.
His friends held a memorial summit on the mountain in his honor Tuesday.
“He had such an adventurous spirit and we’re all better off having known him,” Mr. Shorey‘s roommate Jennifer Neitling told CNN.
Another friend, Bret Barnum, told KGW-TV that “In 42 years, that guy lived a hundred years of life easily … I was fortunate enough to be able to hop in the car and take a ride with him. Every time we could go out, it was an adventure.”
Mr. Shorey was also a brand ambassador for Mountain House, a maker of freeze-dried foods.
“Rocky was an expert mountaineer and a fearless adventurer with an appetite for the outdoors almost as big as his joyful heart. The Mountain House community is devastated by his loss,” Mountain House told KGW-TV.