- Photo by Caroline George

Chicks Climbing Girly Guide Caroline George is currently working as a guide for RMI on a Mount Rainier expedition and has just reported in after an early Saturday morning avalanche on the mountain that narrowly missed her team, leaving them in the cloud.

The Seattle Times reported that the avalanche started at 12,500 feet about 4:45 a.m. Saturday, June 5. The avalanche began on the east face of the mountains on Ingraham Glacier and sent snow sliding down approximately 1,000 feet.

Caroline described the avalanche as being “400m wide x 800m long avalanche.” She said there were “11 victims, 4 burials, one person still missing. Our 18 clients and 6 guides (no victims) were just to the east, on the Ingraham Flats and were spared. We were able to initate rescue immediately and the guides dug out three burried people. The rescue team and victims were helicoptered out by the Army.”

Authorities confirm that one of the victims is still missing, thought to be a European male who did not register with authorities before starting a solo climb.

We are relieved Caroline and her group were not only spared, but able to assist in the rescue effort and are anxiously awaiting word on the last victim.