Roscoe Shorey Obituary, Experienced Climber Found Dead 1,200 Feet Below the Summit

Roscoe Shorey Obituary – The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office announced on April 1 that a mountain climber was discovered deceased inside the crater of Mount St. Helens in Washington state on March 30. A climbing group reached the summit of the volcano near the Monitor Ridge Climbing Route after being alerted to a body found on the morning of March 30.

The group found a backpack, digital recording devices, and other personal items near the crater’s rim. A snow cornice near the rim collapsed and fell into the crater, near the personal belongings. The climbing group spotted an unmoving individual within the volcano’s crater, approximately 1200 feet below the summit. The victim was identified as Roscoe (Rocky) Shorey, 42, from Washougal, Wash. Shorey was an experienced mountain climber who had successfully climbed MT St Helens 28 times before the accident.

The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office expressed their condolences to Shorey’s family and friends. A rescue team was airlifted to the volcano’s crater to recover Shorey’s body, which was then taken to the Marble Mountain Sno-Park incident command. Sheriff’s deputies mentioned that Shorey was alone at the time of the incident. The Northwest Avalanche Center stated on March 30 that Shorey’s death was caused by a cornice fall while he was near the top of the mountain. The organization warned about the dangers of large cornices overhanging steep alpine slopes, which can fail unexpectedly.