California man fatally falls while on 13,000-foot peak

A man died after a fall on the north face of University Peak, a 13,589-foot-tall mountain in California's Sierra Nevada, on June 25, officials said.

The Inyo County Coroner Office identified the deceased as 34-year-old Derek Thoele of California.

Inyo County Search and Rescue said it first learned about the fatality late Sunday evening when Thoele's mountaineering companion called 911 to say Thoele had fallen near Kearsarge Pass. Thoele's friend said the two were ascending University Peak when the friend decided to wait in place due to challenging conditions while Thoele continued toward the summit.

When Thoele didn't return, his mountaineering partner went searching for him and discovered he had fallen; while he wasn't able to reach him, he determined Thoele likely hadn't survived due to the rock-and-ice terrain he had fallen onto and the distance of the fall, Search and Rescue said.

The friend descended the mountain to the point where he could get cell service and called for help.

Officials delayed the search for Thoele until the next day, as it was too dark that night. On Monday morning, 10 volunteer search-and-rescue members drove to the town of Lone Pine and met with a CHP team and a helicopter.

The search began with the helicopter flying over the area, and Thoele's body was located within 30 minutes "almost 1,000 feet below the point he was last seen," Search and Rescue said. Two team members assisted in hoisting the body into the helicopter.

Sgt. Mike Atkins with the Inyo County Sheriff's Office and Search and Rescue, said both mountaineers were prepared for the trek up University Peak and had the right equipment.

"These were very experienced," Atkins said. "They didn't do anything wrong. I have had plenty of instances where people had no businesses being out there. This wasn't the case in this incident."

Atkins said he was told that Thoele had climbed over 20 other peaks.

The pair had started their climb at the trail head in Onion Valley.

University Peak sits on the border of Kings Canyon National Park and the John Muir Wilderness, about 15 miles north of Mount Whitney. The closest town is Independence.

The mountaineer's death comes after an unusually wet winter that piled up a massive snowpack that's still spread across the Sierra and many hiking trails.

"Snow level in our area is at about 10,000 feet, so anything over that is going to be 100% covered," John Seals, who works in the Eastern Sierra Visitor Center in Lone Pine, told SFGATE on the phone.

"Remember, we are still far away from summer conditions," Search and Rescue said. "While we don't know exactly what led to the fall, we can only urge people to be very cautious while enjoying their adventures in the mountains."