Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office. Credit: Facebook
Three men died after falling 400 feet during abseiling in the North Cascade, Washington on Sunday, May 11, 2025.
The sole survivor, 38, Anton Zeriff, hiked the mountains and drove over 60 miles to find Payphone and ask for help despite serious internal and head injuries.
Early winter spire tragedy
The accident occurred in an early winter spire, a popular climbing area in the North Cascade Mountains, about 160 miles northeast of Seattle. Authorities say a group of four climbers had turned back due to worsening weather and had gone down a sudden gully when the Pitton rope system failed.
According to the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office, the group fell about 200 feet out of the air, then fell another 200 feet over rocks, snow and debris. The fall is reportedly caused by a failure of Piton, a small metal spike used as an anchor for rock climbing that appears to have been torn off the wall.
The three sadly deceased climbers were named Vishnu Iligadi, Tim Nguyen, 63, and Olexander Martinenko, 36, aged 48.
The whole thing was from the Seattle area, according to the county coroner. CNN.
The only survivor, Anton Zeriff, was able to unravel himself from the wreckage and hiked through the sturdy terrain in the dark to reach the car. He then drove west over the Cascade Mountains about 60 miles to the west, then found a payphone to call emergency services.
“He wasn’t aware he had as significant internal injuries as he did,” Rep. Dave Yanell said (via) Climbing magazine), added that Tselykh was the first to refuse medical assistance.
Authorities say Mazama, a town just 15 miles from the mountain, was much closer, but Treeff may not have known the area well. “He took the long route,” Yanell said. “He drove through the Cascade mountain ranges for at least an hour.”
The rescue team found climbers using coordinates shared by friends in the group. A team of three arrived at the site on Sunday and called for a helicopter to recover the bodies due to the difficult terrain.
Woodworth added that he hopes to speak in more detail with Tselykh once he recovers.
The routes that climbers have descended are considered moderately difficult, but are susceptible to rapid-changing conditions due to the presence of snow, ice and rock.
Joshua Cole, a mountaineering expert with 20 years of experience in the area, said it’s rare to resort to a single piton for absailing, especially given the risks involved.
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