Climbers Rescued After 240-Foot Fall on Olympic Peak

Rochelle Garcia was 240 feet into a terrifying slide down Mount Deception when she thought about her three adult children and wondered if she'd see them again.

The University of Washington physician had been climbing the 7,788-foot Olympic peak with three friends on Memorial Day weekend when her ice axe hit a snow-covered rock. Before she could react, she was falling fast down the mountain's notorious loose slopes.

Garcia finally stopped when she struck a boulder and tumbled into the moat below it. Despite the fall, she was conscious and able to call out to her climbing partners above.

What happened next showcased the best of mountain rescue coordination. Two other climbers, Hans Hughes and Tristan Osborne, were summiting nearby Snifter Spire when they heard Garcia's scream and immediately called 911.

Garcia's climbing partner Andrea Ferrenberg descended to help, but in the chaos, she also fell and injured her ankle. A third member of their party, Rizka Budiati-Szkutnik, who had been climbing solo to catch up with the group, rushed down to assist and suffered injuries as well.

The Clallam County Sheriff's Office launched a helicopter rescue operation. By late Saturday afternoon, a Navy helicopter crew from Whidbey Island arrived and successfully extracted all three injured climbers from the remote location.

Garcia suffered broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and facial injuries but was treated and released within days. Budiati-Szkutnik required more extensive care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle but is recovering.

Why This Inspires

This rescue demonstrates how outdoor communities look out for each other. Hughes and Osborne didn't hesitate to help fellow climbers in trouble, even though they were strangers. The coordination between civilian witnesses, county emergency services, and Navy rescue crews saved three lives that day.

Garcia, an experienced climber who leads mountain expeditions, now shares her story as a reminder about timing and conditions. The group started their climb at 7 a.m. when warmer temperatures had already softened the snow, making it dangerously unstable.

All three women are expected to make full recoveries and return to the peaks they love.