Overview
- Inyo and Mono County search-and-rescue teams confirmed the fatality and a helicopter later evacuated the body once weather improved.
- The fall occurred Saturday on the steep 99 Switchbacks after recent snowfall and hazardous winds obscured the route.
- A fellow hiker reported the trail was nearly invisible in blowing snow and used a satellite link to relay the alert to authorities.
- Authorities have not released the deceased hiker’s identity and urged people not to assume details about the circumstances.
- Inyo County SAR warned of snow, ice, very low temperatures and frequent windstorms, advising crampons, an ice axe, group travel and reliable communications rather than microspikes.