Rodchester Posted May 29, 2001 Posted May 29, 2001 May 29, 2001 By Keith Eldridge Four Stranded Climbers MOUNT RAINIER - Six rescuers helicoptered in from Fort Lewis have reached four stranded climbers on Mount Rainier. The four men appear fine, officials said after the 1:45 p.m. meeting Tuesday. They became stranded only after losing some of their climbing gear to an avalanche on Monday. The men wear to use some of the rescuers' gear and climb to the summit, where a helicopter was to pick them up. Weather was deteroriating, however, and the other option was to climb down rather than up. Windy, Icy The climbers became stranded when an avalanche wiped out their return route a few hundred feet below their position on Liberty Ridge. That's on the north side of the mountain above 13,000 feet. The high-altitude chopper -- known as a Chinook -- had trouble landing below the party due to high winds and icy conditions, so the chopper landed on the summit and the rescuers climbed down to the men. Spokeswoman Maria Gillett says the group of climbers called for help about 8 p.m. Monday and said they had been stranded by an avalanche on Liberty Ridge. Gillett says there were no reports of injury, but the group was pinned down by the weather. All of the climbers are from the Seattle area. Quote
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