Twenty-year-old backcountry skier dies after falling 600 feet on Mount Washington

Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on March 11, 2024

(GORHAM, N.H.) — A 20-year-old backcountry skier died after falling 600 feet down a ravine on Mount Washington in New Hampshire over the weekend, according to officials, who reported two other individuals were rescued from the area.

On Saturday, Madison Saltsburg fell roughly 600 vertical feet down Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington and suffered fatal traumatic injuries during the fall, according to a press release from the U.S. Forest Service on Sunday.

Responding officials from the Mount Washington Avalanche Center (MWAC) said they worked to evacuate Saltsburg off the mountain.

The MWAC Snow Ranger team responded to two other skiers who sustained traumatic injuries from rocks and ice while falling down the firm and icy snow surface, according to the release.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Mount Washington, predicting up to 1 foot of wet, heavy snow and strong winds.

“Throughout the year, this very steep ski mountaineering terrain, and other areas around Mount Washington, are subject to ever changing mountain hazards,” the U.S. Forest Service said. “These commonly include avalanches, open crevasse holes, icy steep slopes, and falling rocks and ice.”

Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeast of the U.S.