Four climbers reportedly suffered a climbing accident following an anchor failure in Washington. As a result, the group fell approximately 400 feet, with three of them dying and the fourth suffering serious injuries.
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According to the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), the incident took place on May 11, 2025, at the North Early Winters Spire located in the North Cascade Range. At around 11:30 a.m., first responders arrived at the area.
The four individuals, were descending a steep gully when the accident took place. According to The Seattle Times, all four were tied to the same anchor point. It is unclear whether that anchor point was a pre-existing one or if the group used one of their own. Either way, the anchor point failed.
As the anchor failed, all four of them suffered a 400-foot fall. Cristina Woodworth, head of the Okanogan County Search and Rescue team, spoke with The Seattle Times and spoke about the nature of the fall.
“It seems like they fell through pretty steep vertical terrain for about 200 feet and then about 200 more feet of kind of tumbling, moderate terrain,” Woodworth said.
Victims Identified
Three of the individuals were killed as a result. In a recent update made by the OCSO, their identities were confirmed as Oleksander Martynenko, 36, Vishnu Irigireddy, 47, and Tim Nguyen, 63.
The survivor, Anton Tselykh, 38, was the one who contacted law enforcement, having to extricate himself. Despite suffering from internal bleeding and a traumatic brain injury, he managed to walk back to Washington Pass. Moreover, he drove to Newhalem and used a payphone to call 911.
Okanogan County Undersheriff David Yarnell said, “He didn’t realize he had as significant of internal injuries as he did.”
Teslykh was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Meanwhile, the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team managed to extricate the three deceased members of the climbing party.
“The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the SAR volunteers and Snohomish County for assisting in this tragic incident,” the OCSO said. “Our thoughts are with the family members and friends of those involved.”
The OCSO, in its latest update that the incident “has brought global attention to the climbing world.”
The incident remains under investigation.