Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Whitney Death

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Man, that sucks. May he RIP, and best wishes to his family. It looks like he was doing the Mountaineer's Route?

Very sad news. My condolences to the family.

This is purely speculation, but to have fallen 200 feet, it sounds like he may have missed the turn back to the west on the Ebersbacher Ledges. ...or he encountered icy conditions on the ledges.

[url=]Oregon Hiker Dies in Sierra[/url]

Written by Benett Kessler
Tuesday, 30 November 2010 16:45

A Portland, Oregon man died in the Sierra mountains in the Mt. Whitney area this week. Reports indicate he fell some 200 feet inyo_county_jailto his death.

According to the Inyo Sheriff's Department, 37-year-old Christian Meining of Oregon spent Thursday night at Lower Boy Scout Lake in the Mt. Whitney area. Officers said the next morning, Meining told a group of hikers that he was heading back down the trail. That was the last contact with the man.

Members of the Inyo Search and Rescue team began to look for the missing hiker on Monday. He was found deceased in the mountains Tuesday. Inyo Sheriff's Corporal Terry Waterbury, Search and Rescue Coordinator, said that it appeared the hiker had fallen some 200 feet.

A recovery effort was expected to take place Wednesday. A CHP helicopter has assisted the Inyo Search team on this mission.

That thought that makes my palms sweat. A few of them - especially the "skinny ledge" - look scary enough in dry conditions. Can't imagine trying them iced-over.

Very sad to read. Condolences to the family.

I may be wrong here, but I believe that this is the first death that has occurred from a fall off the E ledges (although I almost had one, myself).

Amazing to me there havn't been more.

Someone who went up the MR with Bob R this past summer mentioned that he stopped at a spot on the E-ledges to point out where someone slipped and fell to their death while reaching for a falling water bottle, or something similarly minor in most other places. That's the only other fall from the ledges I've heard of - I have no clue when it may have happened. I can't recall who mentioned it, but I'm almost positive they're on this board.

When these ledges are iced over, is there a viable bypass available?

Gary.... You are correct. From what I remember, the person had just passed the hardest part of the ledges and his water bottle fell. He reached for it, fell off balance and fell. I'm pretty sure that was the only other death.

This one is tough as this guy looked to have a good amount of experience and from what I have read, he was a fairly intelligent person with a super job. Looks like he did some charity work too. Very nice young man. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.

Ken, there have been multiple deaths on the Ebersbacher Ledges over the years. I have heard about 6 to 8. BobR in SARs can give a more precise count. We don't know, as yet, where the tragic accident occurred. He may not have been on the Ledges.

My condolences to Christian Meining's family, relatives and friends.

Wayne is absolutely correct; Discussions about these accidents usually consist of speculation, rumours, gossip and 'thoughts and prayers' from people who have little or no connection to the events. This discussion is no exception.

Thanks Bob West for the initial post.

I for one am glad that people have this person in their "thoughts and prayers". As far as "gossip or rumors", I haven't seen it. Speculation certainly and for good reason. Most of the posters on this board don't just hike Mt Whitney, they love Mt Whitney. The allure of this special mountain cannot be described by me, but has certainly been described by much better writers than myself. When someone dies on this mountain, it isn't a case morbid curiousity, but true empathy from people who have hiked the trails, crossed the creeks, scrambled up boulders and who have witnessed the passion Mt Whitney releases within us.

I for one did think about this young man, I did pray for him and his family and he is in my thoughts. Maybe I'm the only one, but I actually talked out loud to him, just like he was sitting in front of me. Mr Meining's death is a tragedy, not just to the hiking community, but to his family, his friends and his employer. His death did touch me, just as Wade Brunette's death last October touched me. After Wade died, I told myself that out of respect, I would think of him when I neared the summit last July. And I did that. I myself am in awe of what Mr Meining accomplished in his young life and I am appreciative of the respectful way this community has treated his death.

Here's a report from KOIN.com, a Portland TV station:

    Portland man falls to his death in the Sierra Nevada Range

Part of the article:

A big ditto re QS's comments. In a Whitney-centric community like ours, Christian was one of us, regardless of whether he was a member of the board. The same goes for Wade Brunette last year and the group from Nebraska a few weeks ago. We all know how easy it can be to get in trouble on this mountain, especially in winter conditions, so there's a natural empathy response towards anyone who does.

As Christian was solo, we'll almost certainly never know the exact "why" of his accident. The speculation as to "where" is a natural byproduct of the brief, sketchy reporting we've seen so far on the location he was found. Once more authorative detail appears on this, that question will be satisfied. I fail to see where "gossip" or "rumors" regarding Christian's accident have appeared. Nothing that I've seen on either board's thread on this subject has been anything other than respectful.

I hope I'm reading you wrong, but your "thoughts and prayers" reference comes across as dismissive, implying that they are mostly insincere lip service while we engage in gossip and rumor-mongering. Believe what you may about what's in the hearts of others, but I can attest to Joe's (Quillansculpture's) sincerity in his recollection about Wade Brunette's death last year. He and I traded a number of e-mails while Wade was missing, and he was most assuredly shaken by that event. I recall him mentioning that he was even having trouble sleeping. I accompanied Joe up Whitney last July, and there were several moments between Trail Crest and the summit when Wade was heavily on our minds. I suspect next year when we approach the North Fork, the same will be said about Christian.

Wow, "interesting" first post to say the least.

The fact that I cross through the area many times per year and often with family and close friends conects me to the events. It is like someone died in my back yard. I am truely sorry for this young mans death and I want nothing more to learn what went wrong so I don't repeat it. You'll find that is the case with nearly every one of the posters here.

My number one goal has always been and will always be to get back down safely. Having fun is number two and if we can sneak a summit in there, great. To acheive these goals it is often helpful to learn the cause of mishaps.

As always these are MY opinions and you are welcome to your own. Your mileage may vary, to each his own, etc, etc.......................................DUG

Thanks QS for so eloquently expressing your thoughts. I am new to this forum and was ready to be done with it after Porky's last comment. I rarely encounter people I have trouble communicating with on my adventures and I am pleased to know that most people on this forum are the same nice folks.

Thanks, Wayne.

I wasn't sure, and thus, my post.

I was assuming he'd not gotten off track, which being somewhere else would have required, but that's certainly possible.

It always seems tragic when someone is lost, even if not known to the regular community. Of course, at some level, I'd rather not lose someone that I know, but I dislike anyone encountering disaster.

It seems like this season, and spring, just has a smaller margin of safety for anyone...even experienced people. Objective dangers are enhanced, and problems rapidly get out of control due to temp, etc.

Be careful, everyone.

DolbyBear, the tone of that post was an aberration on this board. Stick around and you'll find the Whitney Zone is populated by and large with wonderful, positive, respectful folks. Even in the rare instance when a topic has the potential to go nuclear, the personality of the board membership tends to keep it in check and on a civil basis. Welcome!