According to Marion County Officials, a 32-year-old man from Oregon has passed away after falling into a crevasse during a climbing expedition on Mount Jefferson this past Sunday.
Mount Jefferson Is The Second Highest Peak In Oregon
The report, which comes from KATU2, says that Thomas Fountain was accompanied by his wife, Alison Fountain (29), when the accident occurred at around 8,800 feet. According to rescue personnel, Thomas fell in extreme terrain and consequently slid into a crevasse approximately 500 ft. below the point where he lost his footing. Alison Fountain did not fall.
As a result, Alison was forced to spend a night alone in the cold wilderness, all the while texting search and rescue personnel. Search and rescue from Corvallis were dispatched to the scene, with five rescue climbers in addition to a 10 person air support team that was flown in at daybreak to help with the rescue effort. They reached the site at roughly 9am on Monday.
Thomas was an experienced climber, who climbed regularly with his wife.
Thomas Fountain’s death is the first climbing fatality on Mount Jefferson since 2001.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Alison and her late husband’s friends and family.