Experienced climber, 42, died after falling into Washington state's Mount St ... trends now
An experienced mountain climber tragically fell 1,200 feet to his death inside Mount St. Helens' volcano crater after scaling the summit for the 29th time.
The body of Roscoe 'Rocky' Shorey, 42, was recovered on Saturday morning after the passionate outdoorsman plummeted into the crater when a shelf of snow he was standing on apparently broke.
He was an avid and popular explorer in the mountain area, and was planning his usual routine of snowboarding off-piste back down the mountain before he fell to his death.
Tributes have poured in for Shorey, as friend Bret Barnum told KGW: 'In 42 years, that guy lived a hundred years of life easily... Every time we could go out, it was an adventure.'
Roscoe 'Rocky' Shorey, 42, tragically fell to his death into Mount St. Helens' volcano crater after scaling the summit for the 29th time on Saturday
The avid outdoorsman was planning to snowboard off-piste down the mountain after his solo summit before falling to his death
It is believed that Shorey was standing on a snow shelf over the crater that fractured and broke, sending him falling 1,200 feet into the volcano crater
Barnum said that Shorey was more than a passionate climber, and the adrenaline junkie was also known to frequently sky-dive, scuba dive, heli-ski and volunteer for environmental clean-up efforts.
On his final ascent, Shorey had summited Mount St. Helens - an active volcano in Washington state - the for the 29th time.
Before he could begin his descent by snowboard, it is believed by officials that he was standing on a snow cornice, a shelf of snow overhanging the crevasse, that broke.
A separate group of climbers later found Shorey's backpack and climbing gear on the summit near the rim of the crater, before spotting his lifeless body at the bottom of the volcano.
A massive search effort by the Skamania County Sheriff's Office was carried out, which included air-lifting a rescue team into the crater of the volcano to retrieve Shorey's body.
His friend Barnum said that he became concerned
