A climber went missing near Thumb Rock on Liberty Ridge in Mount Rainier National Park/NPS photo illustration

Mount Rainier National Park's search-and-rescue teams, who have been busy the past week looking for two missing hikers, have added a missing climber to their workload.

The climber, Matthew Bunker of Seattle, was reported missing on Liberty Ridge, on the north side of Mount Rainier. He was reported missing by his climbing party Friday afternoon. Bunker had been skiing ahead of his partner near Thumb Rock, at about 10,400 feet elevation, as they were descending from the upper mountain on skis, and was believed to have fallen in the steep terrain, a park release said Saturday evening.

The National Park Service’s helicopter was on its way back to Mount Rainier from North Cascades National Park where it had been part of aviation training for North Cascades rangers. The helicopter diverted to perform an initial reconnaissance on the area. Severe down slope winds around Liberty Ridge prevented the helicopter from getting close to the terrain, and the crew was unable to locate the missing climber before returning to base at Mount Rainier, the park release said.

A second reconnaissance flight went out later Saturday evening with three climbing rangers aboard to gather further information on the incident and attempt to locate Bunker. The helicopter and crew again encountered severe down slope winds and increasing clouds, which limited their ability to approach the ridge. 

Liberty Ridge gained much of its fame when it was named one of the “Fifty Classic Climbs” in 1996 by Steve Roper and Allen Steck. The route along the ridge follows an aesthetic line between Liberty Wall and Willis Wall all the way to the summit of Liberty Cap. Due to the committing nature of the route, its remote location, and its sustained steep angle, Liberty Ridge has the reputation of being the hardest and most-dangerous regularly climbed route on Mount Rainier.

The terrain below where Bunker went missing is near the location of the Liberty Ridge tragedy that claimed the lives of six climbers in 2014. It is very steep, terminates in cliffs, and is known for frequent avalanches and active rockfall. This, combined with the broken surface of the Carbon Glacier, will prevent the deployment of ground teams in this search. The Park Service is not asking for any assistance in the continued search for Matthew Bunker. Further helicopter searches are planned when more stable weather comes through the area early next week.