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Update: Climber Who Fell 1,500 ft Into Mount St. Helen's Crater Dies
Mr Bohlig had been posing for a picture when a snow outcrop gave way underneath him. Two helicopters had to be turned back due to high winds.
The Daily Mail via YellowBrix
February 17, 2010
‘Boom, it busted off and I saw him clawing for the edge with a startled look on his face, and then he disappeared,’ he said.
Mr Salkovichs said he threw a backpack down to his friend, but Mr Bohlig was not able to reach it.
He was alive and blowing a rescue whistle soon after the fall.
The volcano, around 100 miles south of Seattle, exploded in a massive eruption in 1980, but has been quiet in recent years.
The U.S. Forest Service said the climbing route provides views of the crater, lava dome and eruption area. Most climbers complete the trip in seven to 12 hours, reaching heights of up to 8,365ft.
Climbers are advised to stay well back from the rim due to its instability.
North Country Emergency Medical Services chief Tom McDowell said the only other time someone has fallen from the rim was in 2008, when a snow cornice gave way under a snowmobiler. He was rescued by helicopter and suffered a knee injury.
Around 13,000 people climb the mountain each year.
