Man slides 2,000 feet to his death on Mount Shasta

"Travizano was climbing the mountain solo and joined two other climbers that he met on the ascent, Meyers said. After the three climbers successfully summited Mount Shasta, two climbers, including Travizano, lost their way and wandered off route during the descent. That afternoon, clouds moved across the upper mountain and limited visibility, Meyers said. There are several routes that converge on Shasta's summit plateau, so if someone is not familiar with the terrain and they're not using navigation tools, when visibility is poor, they can go down the mountain the wrong way."

"Travizano and his companion wound up stranded on an ice sheet at the northern tip of the Wintun Glacier, about 13,500 feet in elevation. Knowing they were off-route, Travizano and the other climber began to glissade down the mountain in an effort to get back on the Clear Creek Trail at a lower section of the mountain. Glissading is a technique used in mountaineering to slide downhill on snow or ice, but can quickly become dangerous when climbers lose control of their speed and cannot stop."

A 45-year-old man slid roughly 2,000 feet to his death after summiting Mount Shasta on Sept. 12. The climber, identified as Matias Augusto Travizano of Argentina, ascended via the Clear Creek Trail, a non-technical route commonly used after snow melts. Travizano climbed solo and joined two other climbers on the ascent; two of the group lost route during the descent. Afternoon clouds reduced visibility as multiple routes converge on the summit plateau, increasing the risk of descending the wrong way without navigation tools. The pair became stranded on an ice sheet near the Wintun Glacier and attempted to glissade downward, during which Travizano lost control and struck a boulder, becoming unconscious while the other climber tried to reach him.

Read at SFGATE