"On behalf of Carl's family, I'd like to thank the readers of this board for their words of support. Since news of the accident has spread based on reports from Argentina on the web, I thought I should post a short summary of what I know, based on my conversation with Carl's climbing partner, Rene Crawshaw.

On October 17, 2005, my brother Carl Skoog died in a mountaineering accident on Cerro Mercedario (6777 m, 22210 ft) in the high Andes of Argentina. Carl was climbing and skiing with his friend Rene Crawshaw of Chilliwack, B.C. Their trip plan was to revisit and document the country described in the 1975 book by Piers Paul Read, "Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors," about a 1972 plane crash involving a Uruguayan rugby team.

Carl and Rene had already climbed a peak called Cerro Negro. That climb and descent went well. After climbing Cerro Negro, they established a camp at 14,500 feet on Cerro Mercedario. After some weather delays, they climbed the south face of Mercedario and established a higher camp at about 20,000 feet. They spent three nights at the high camp and during this period they made a successful one-day climb to the summit and back. Rene said that he and Carl were both doing well at altitude.

Around mid-morning on October 17, they began their descent from high camp. According to Rene, they were working their way down a 42-degree snow slope when Carl's fall occurred. The snow texture was uneven and they were side-slipping on skis at the time. Carl may have struck a hidden rock or other obstacle, but there is no way to know for sure. He attempted to arrest his fall but was not successful. He struck some rocks, and Rene thought he may have lost consciousness at that point. Carl ultimately tumbled 4500 vertical feet. Rene descended over a period of several hours and located Carl's body, confirming that he had died.

Cerro Mercedario is in remote country, and it took Rene 1-1/2 days to hike out for assistance. The U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires notified Carl's family on October 20 and on the same day a military party on foot and with mules left to recover Carl's body. The recovery is expected to take three days.

Lowell Skoog
Seattle, WA "


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	Cascade Alpine Guides - Newsletter Home | More...
	In this issue: 2006 Mount Rainier Dates Havasupai / Grand Canyon Rainier Spotlight Avalanche Safety Courses About this newsletter Join our Newsletter Published Quarterly Sign up Today Learn more about Cascade Alpine Guidesl 2006 Mount Rainier Dates and Information Now Available If you've been waiting for us to publish our dates for our Mount Rainier Summit Climbs and Expedition Seminars you can wait no more... 2006 4 Day Summit Climb Dates:              $1195.00          Session # 1          May 29 - June 2          Session # 2          June 19 - June 23          Session # 3          July 3 - July 7          Session # 4          July 30 - August 3 2006 6 Day Expedition Seminar Dates:    $1395.00          Session # 1          May 29 - June 2          Session # 2          June 19 - June 23          Session # 3          July 3 - July 7          Session # 4          July 30 - August 3 Download Application - Cascade Alpine Guides Mount Rainier programs are by application only Click Here to download. You can get more information by visiting us on the web at http://www.climbmountrainier.com Havaspuai / Grand Canyon Adventure Not Far In Miles, but Thousands of Years Away in Attitude from the Tourist Facilities at the South Rim, Lies a Desert Oasis Called Havasupai Canyon Surrounded by the arid canyon lands and plateaus typical of this part of the American Southwest, Havasu Creek paints a green swath through the desert. To the Havasupai, the Canyon is a Sacred Place. It is a Place of Emergence. If you have never explored the canyonlands of the southwest, this is the trek to take. Havasupai Canyon is a diorama of constantly changing colors, textures and landscapes. The variety is amazing. 2006 6 Day Havasupai Dates: Spring 2006       April 16 - 21       April 23- 28       April 30 - May 5       May 7 - 12 Fall 2006       September 10 - 15       September 17 - 22       September 34 - 29 Come join us. We'll make sure that your time in Havasupai is one you will never forget! The Havasupai Indians have lived in the Grand Canyon and the surrounding lands for at least 700 years. They are the descendants of the Cerbat people that lived in the Canyon country nearly 1,500 years ago. In the 1800s, the Havasupai were confined to a reservation little larger than the village of Supai. Just over 20 years ago, the tribes were given back 280,000 acres, which is used as rangeland for cattle and horses Come visit our version of paradise Special offer: 10% Discount when you register before January 27, 2006 for any 2006 Havaspuai Adventure Expires 1/27/2006. You can get more information by visiting us on the web at http://www.cascadealpine.com Rainier Spotlight: Not to early to start training! Every year Cascade Alpine Guides has the pleasure of assisting 36 people attain Washington State highest point, and the 5th highest in the lower 48 states. In 2005 we were fortunate to have an outstanding year. 33 clients and staff had a brief visit to the roof of Washington State. Mount Rainier is stunning no matter how you look at it but the view from 14,410ft is hard to describe for some. One of the most common comments we here from our clients upon their return from the summit was "...I knew it was going to be tough but I no understand when you tell us you can't be in too good of shape..." Start training today for that climb tomorror. Neep some help? Call us and ask us how we do it... Climb Safe, Rob Veal Avalanche Safety Courses Q: Will Cascade Alpine Gudies be offering Avalanche Safety courses again this winter? A: Yes, We are once again very please to have Gary Brill returning to teach backcountry avalanche safety courses this winter/spring We are offering Recreational, Level I certification, Level II certification as well as advanced training days to help keep you informed on the latest safety and search techniques. for more information an the Avalanche Safety courses we offer, visit www.AvalancheSafety.org About this newsletter This quarterly newsletter is brought to you by Cascade Alpine Guides LLC. This email is sent to opted-in, users of CascadeAlpineGuides.com and ClimbMountRainier.com. If you would rather not receive messages like this, please click here. We will remove your name from any future mailings. It may take up to 10 days for your request to take effect. You may also send a letter to the following address to be removed from our mailing list: Attn: Subscriptions Cascade Alpine Guides 5103 190th Place NE Sammamish, WA 9074 Review our Privacy Policy.

Past News!
April 21, 2005 Mount Rainier - Park Service announces completion of the Comericial Services Plan for Guided Climbing.

Recomends 3 guide services. Click Here for Complete Details.

• Muir Route to be split up (Guide 'A' = 3336 climbers, 'B' & 'C' = 1668 Climbers each)
• Emmons Route divided equally with 120 climbers year.
• Kautz Route divided equally with 80 climbers per year.
• Expected to take effect for the 2006 climbing season.