Former Mammoth resident perishes in Rainier avalanche

You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know – René Daumal (from Matt Hegeman’s profile on the Alpine Ascents website)

On Saturday, May 31, the National Park Service (NPS) confirmed that an avalanche had swept six climbers to their deaths on Washington’s Mount Rainier.

Mt. Rainier has seen 89 fatalities from summiting, dating back to 1897, but this was the mountain’s worst tragedy since 1981, when eleven climbers were killed by icefall on the Ingraham Glacier.

As far as the Mt. Rainier NPS is able to surmise, based on pings from the climbers’ emergency beacons and remnants of their camp, the six climbers were swept 3,300 feet down the mountain form their last known base camp at 12,800 feet on Liberty Ridge, to 9,500 feet.

According to National Park spokeswoman Patti Wold, “There is no viable chance of survival from such a fall.”

Because of the unstable nature of the terrain, and the risk to search and rescue personnel, Park Service officials say that the bodies may never be found.

The climbers included two seasoned guides from Seattle-based Alpine Ascents International, as well as four clients. The lead guide, Matthew Hegeman, age 38, was a former resident of Mammoth Lakes who in recent years had moved with his wife to Truckee.

An AMGA Certified Rock and Alpine Guide, Hegeman had summited Mt. Rainier 50-plus times, according to Alpine Ascents, and had climbed Mt. Baker, Mt. Shuksan, Eldorado, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Whitney, Aconcagua, Cerro Fitz Roy, and El Cap numerous times as well.

The second guide was Eitan Green, 28. The other climbers were John Mullally of Seattle, Mark Mahaney and Erik Britton Colb of St. Paul, Minn., and Uday Marty of Singapore.

Liberty Ridge is one of Mt. Rainier’s most challenging routes. According to The Seattle Times, less than 2 percent of climbers attempt to reach the summit along that route, and Liberty Ridge accounts for about a quarter of all climbing deaths on the mountain, many of those deaths from rock or ice fall.

Nevertheless, news of the deaths has shocked family members, friends, and the climbing community at large.

Mammoth resident Jake Nicholl, who lived next door to the Hegemans for three of their years in Mammoth, recalled Matt Hegeman as “a really fun guy; goofy but kind.”

Nicholl remembered time spent climbing with Hegeman in the Owen’s River Gorge and Yosemite, backcountry skiing, and dining on Matt’s famous “Winey” Chicken dinner and beers.

Nicholl also remarked on Hegeman’s obvious love for his wife. “They both had very interesting career paths, and they were able to pursue exactly what they wanted, together,” he said. “I think that’s really special.”

In spite of his more playful side, Nicholl said Matt was serious about guiding.

“Matt was very knowledgeable and also aware of what was going on,” he said. “He was aware of what was required [by the climb] and also motivating people, encouraging them and calming them down; making them comfortable.”

Nicholl called these the qualities of a great guide.

Dave Miller, Owner and Director of International Alpine Guides and California Alpine Guides in Mammoth, paid tribute to Hegeman on Facebook. “Matt,” he wrote, “we shared many adventures together over the last 12 years … core shots on El Cap, guiding on Mount Shasta, splitters in the desert, massive steak dinners in Argentina … I am stunned you have left us. You will be so missed, buddy!”

In a statement released by Alpine Ascents earlier this week, the guide company paid tribute to Hegeman and Green’s “skill level and passion for the mountains … Matt, intense, philosophical and driven by the right way to do things, left an indelible mark on all around him. His pursuit for excellence was matched by his sense of camaraderie and humor. Eitan, quick with a smile and exuberant, had that infectious nature of guides who love their work and time in the mountains. His talent as a strong leader and critical thinker in the wilderness was unsurpassed …

These are hard days for all involved as we reach out and send condolences to the families and friends and try as best we can to comfort each other. The kind words shared by so many are taken to heart and help us all heal.”

Added Alpine Ascent’s founder Todd Burleson in a Seattle Times interview, “We’re professionals at climbing, not professionals at losing climbers. This is very difficult to deal with. It’s just very, very hard.”