Fatality — Mount Jefferson, Jan 15, 1994
20-year-old UNH student from Saunderstown, RI · party of 2
Derek Tinkham, 20, attempted a winter northern Presidential traverse with Jeremy Haas on January 15, 1994 in a forecast extreme cold-and-wind event. Per the American Alpine Club, 'The temperature on the summit of Mount Washington the night Jeremy Haas arrived there was -42° F, and the winds were gusting up to 100 mph.' Underdressed and carrying sleeping bags rated only to -10°F, Tinkham succumbed near Jefferson's summit; Haas left him in a bivouac and crawled to the summit observatory, surviving with severe frostbite. The pair had passed trails to the heated Gray Knob cabin.
What we can learn
Heed multi-day extreme winter forecasts. Sleep systems rated to the forecast low — not the median — and treeline-shelter bailouts are non-negotiable on the northern Presidential traverse.
Contributing factors