A rock climber survived a 400ft fall while descending a steep gully in Washington’s North Cascades, where his three companions tragically lost their lives. Despite suffering internal bleeding and head trauma, the survivor managed to hike to his car in the dark and then drove to a payphone to seek help. Such fatal falls are rare, with the circumstances leading up to the incident still unclear.

The group of four climbers, including the deceased aged 36, 47, and 63, were scaling the Early Winters Spires when the anchor securing their ropes failed during the descent. They fell about 200ft into a gulch and then tumbled another 200ft. A search and rescue team, aided by coordinates from a device the climbers carried, retrieved the bodies from the challenging terrain.

Investigations into the cause of the fall revealed an old piton still clipped to the climbers’ ropes, suggesting a potential anchor failure. Climbers typically secure themselves with ropes to anchors like pitons for safety. The circumstances leading to the fall remain unclear, but the climbing route was described as of moderate difficulty, requiring navigation through varied terrain.

The incident serves as a reminder of the inherent risks in rock climbing, where conditions can rapidly change with the weather, impacting the route’s safety. Authorities aim to gather more information from the survivor to understand the events leading to the tragic fall in the North Cascades mountains.