Nick Twietmeyer
ntwietmeyer@ptleader.com

A Seattle woman died on The Brothers following a glissading accident on the mountain in the Olympic National Forest May 23.

A Navy helicopter search-and-rescue team recovered the woman’s body. She was identified by responders as Melanie M. Kondrat, 31.

Her hiking companion, who was not identified by responders, was pulled from the mountain by the rescue team and later taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was treated for hypothermia.

The pair had recently summited the mountain and were working their way back down from one of the peaks, said Detective Sergeant Brett Anglin of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

The pair attempted to slide down a steep, snowy section of the mountain by executing a mountaineering maneuver known as glissading when they lost control of their descent, Anglin said.

“The male hit a rock outcrop and had stopped, luckily,” he explained. “However, the female had continued well past him and struck another rock outcrop at a very high rate of speed.”

Kondrat came to rest at the mouth of a “moat” — a snowy feature that is formed near flowing water as a result of the warmer water melting the snow beneath it.

Anglin noted the opening to the moat was only about 4 feet wide and a waterfall flowed through it.

Kondrat’s companion tried to pull her out, immersing himself in the water in the process. He later told responders that eventually his grip on Kondrat gave out and she slid further in.

Around 1 p.m. Sunday, May 24, responders were alerted via an InReach emergency beacon from a separate party on the mountain who had abandoned their climb to assist the hikers. Another climber nearby also made a call for help.

A helicopter crew from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island was called in  and lowered two rescue personnel to the climbers.

Rescuers determined that the man would need to be flown out and additional equipment was needed to attempt a rescue for Kondrat.

The helicopter made a brief detour to Brinnon, where it picked up members of Jefferson Search and Rescue, who brought along additional ropes and rigging equipment for the recovery.

Meanwhile, additional crews from Jefferson Search and Rescue and Olympic Mountain Rescue got ready to hike the Lena Lake Trail and climb from below to assist with the extraction.

Once at the scene, and with crews unable to determine whether Kondrat was alive or dead, responders mounted a rushed rescue attempt. Despite exceptionally hazardous conditions, a climber with Jefferson Search and Rescue established a rappel line and went down into the moat. 

“This moat, basically it’s a manhole in the snow,” Anglin said. “It was obviously a dangerous situation to go in, but at the time we were not completely sure of the mortality of the victim.”

“In situations like this where tragedy strikes and also involves a dangerous recovery and the possibility of the victim being alive, it produces an urgency to basically do heroic things,” he added,

At the bottom of the moat, between 30 and 40 feet down, the rescue team member found Kondrat pinned between the snow and the mountain.

While getting pummeled by an onslaught of icy water, the climber was able to get a line around Kondrat’s body and recover the fallen hiker from the chasm.

“It’s not only a heroic task, but a phenomenal feat on the side of a mountain,” Anglin said.

He said the rescuer’s effort to pull Kondrat from the mountain was “one of the most dangerous recoveries” he has ever worked as coordinator on.

Two additional helicopter flights through dense cloud layers were required to successfully hoist the second climbing party, search-and-rescue volunteers, a Navy medic and the climber.

Anglin praised the search-and-rescue crews, the Navy, and others who assisted during the tragedy. 

“We can’t say enough good things about everybody who showed up, from the party that assisted and remained on the scene with the victims, to the [Naval Air Station] Whidbey Island search and rescue, Olympic Mountain Search and Rescue, Jefferson Search and Rescue,” Anglin said.

“This was an extremely dangerous recovery and to be even able to do this is not only a heroic thing but it’s just phenomenal work by all parties,” he added. “Through their efforts combined, we were able to not only recover one person, but also bring closure to the family.”