Authorities yesterday recovered the body of a man who had been ice climbing beside the Blue Ridge Parkway in Alleghany County, N.C.
The man's identity wasn't released. His body was recovered by members of the Alleghany County Rescue Squad, who rappelled down the steep slope below the parkway at Ice Rock in Doughton Park.
Maintenance workers reported seeing the climber on Ice Rock Wednesday afternoon, Tim Francis, the district ranger for the parkway's Pisgah District, told WGHP/FOX8, the Winston-Salem Journal's news-gathering partner.
The workers saw the climber's vehicle again yesterday morning and assumed that he had returned to climb again. They then spotted his body.
A paramedic determined that the climber was dead, and authorities began the recovery effort. The body was pulled up about 12:30 p.m.
The area, near Milepost 242, is a popular spot for ice climbers. Thick layers of ice drape the slopes above and below the road, but climbing is only allowed when that part of the parkway is closed to traffic because of snow and ice, as it has been recently.
The spot is about five miles north of N.C. 18. Climbers can park at an overlook and walk about a half-mile along the road to a 200-yard long curve where slabs of ice coat the mountain, forming icicles and walls of ice.
The rock face is steep and includes some sheer drops. An ice climber from Cary died there in 1997.
Typically, ice climbers wear crampons on their feet, with spikes that grip the ice. They use an ice ax, which has a sharp pick that they drive into the ice and provides a way to pull themselves up. They often work in roped pairs, with a climbing partner.
Monte Mitchell is a reporter for the Winston-Salem Journal.
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