DUCHESNE COUNTY, Utah, April 4, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A 41-year-old woman was killed while helping a fellow climber avoid falling ice Sunday in Duchesne County.
Three people were attempting to climb Raven Falls near Indian Canyon when an ice column fell, according to a news release from the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office.
The 41-year-old woman pushed one of her fellow climbers out of the way of the falling ice, “which probably saved her life,” the sheriff’s office stated Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, the climber that pushed her fellow climber out of the way of the falling ice was trapped underneath two huge blocks of ice and did not survive. Our sincere condolences go out to her family and friends,” the release states.
The uninjured 21-year-old woman was able to climb back down and drive to Duchesne to call 911, according to the sheriff’s office.
The third climber, a 34-year-old man, fell approximately 40 feet when the ice column fractured, the release states. The man was hoisted off the mountain and transported by helicopter to a Wasatch Front hospital with serious injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.
Search and rescue crews from Duchesne and Wasatch counties, as well as the Duchesne City Fire Department and volunteer ice climbers assisted in the rescue and recovery efforts.
The Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office offered “thanks and gratitude” Tuesday to all those “who worked such long hours and gave everything they had in the recovery of this 41-year-old female climber.”
“Our sincere condolences to all [affected] by this tragedy, to the family of this brave, courageous woman who lost her life while saving another. We hope that all may find comfort and all the warm support will prevail over your hearts while mourning the loss of your loved one,” the news release states.
Wasatch County Search and Rescue said in a brief Facebook post that the call came in at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
The sheriff’s office previously said one of the climbers had been unaccounted for but was located about 2:30 p.m. Monday. That news release did not say whether the climber was found alive or dead.
Duchesne County officials have not released the climbers’ names.
