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Contact: Patti Wold, PIO, 360-569-6563
Saturday, June 13, 2015, 8:30 am — The search for a missing climber, Kyle Bufis, continues today. Day two of the search is focused on the area of the confluence of the Winthrop and Emmons glaciers. Bufis, age 25 from Utah, was a member of an independent three person climbing team when he went missing near Liberty Saddle on Mount Rainier at approximately 9:00 pm on Thursday, June 11th, after climbing the challenging Liberty Ridge route on the north flank of Mount Rainier. The other two members of the climbing team, Derek Gavelis and Mathew Wiech, descended to Camp Schurman of their own accord late yesterday afternoon. Both were tired, but are in good physical condition. Today's search will be conducted by two air operations. Three climbing rangers on board a US Army Reserve 214th Air Division Chinook will conduct a visual aerial search. A helicopter from Airlift Northwest will search for signals from an avalanche beacon believed to be carried by Bufis using an avalanche beacon receiver provided by King County. This helicopter's second mission is to carry searchers while they look into crevasses from the air. Climbing rangers are on standby to assist at Camp Muir and Camp Schurman high camps. Weather conditions will become increasingly favorable for search efforts throughout the day. Forecasted daytime conditions at the summit: Winds NW 40, 12 degrees Fahrenheit. The temporary flight restriction remains in place. A new press release will be issued when additional information becomes available or check the park's incident information line by calling 360-569-2211 then dial 9 then select option 2. -NPS- |
Last updated: June 13, 2015