A view of Mount Jefferson from Jefferson Park. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter)
Rescuers from multiple counties have joined the search for a Salem climber who fell while descending Mount Jefferson Friday morning.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office said Steven Vanpelt, 33, fell among extreme mountainous terrain. A witness described losing sight of Vanpelt after he fell several hundred feet, the sheriff’s office said.
Vanpelt was formerly a production director at Morningstar Community Church, according to his LinkedIn page.
Just before noon on July 23, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office dispatch received information about a climber falling during a descent on Mount Jefferson and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Linn County Search and Rescue Team began planning a rescue.
Corvallis Mountain Rescue, Eugene Mountain Rescue, Deschutes Mountain Rescue and Portland Mountain Rescue have all responded to the area for the search effort. Multiple flights have been conducted by LifeFlight and the United States Army National Guard through the days following the initial report, the sheriff’s office said.
They said Vanpelt hasn’t been located because of the terrain, which consists of snow, cliffs, large boulders, crevices and rock scree.
“This area is extremely dangerous and requires technical mountaineers to traverse the mountainside,” a new release Sunday said.
This post has been updated to reflect Van Pelt’s former job.
-Saphara Harrell
