Family identifies victim of Lake Tahoe area ice climbing accident
UPDATE: 9:15PM: A 23-year-old Bay Area man who died on Saturday after slipping on ice and plunging about 150 feet near Cascade Falls, has been identified by family members as Michael James Machell of El Cerrito, Calif.
The accident was reported at around 3 p.m. by friends of the victim. The group of friends were apparently preparing to ice climb, said Greg Almos, EDSO deputy sheriff and Search and Rescue coordinator.
"The way it was described to us, he was at the top preparing to set some anchors and slipped," said Almos. The victim's friends were also from the Bay Area, Almos said.
The search and recovery ended at around 10 p.m. Saturday.
There were 12 El Dorado County Search and Rescue volunteers on the recovery. Lake Valley Fire Protection and South Lake Fire Department also assisted.
Despite the fact there hasn't been significant snowfall, there remains a lot of ice in the backcountry, especially in the Cascade Falls area, said Almos.
"We strongly encourage recreationalists to be trained and versed in what they're doing because the entire face is pretty much all ice," said Almos. "This is not a place for amateur climbers right now."
An El Dorado County coroner report had initially spelled the victim's name incorrectly, a sheriff's spokesman said. The name has since been changed in the report.
Despite the fact there hasn't been significant snowfall, there remains a lot of ice in the backcountry, especially in the Cascade Falls area, said Almos.
"We strongly encourage recreationalists to be trained and versed in what they're doing because the entire face is pretty much all ice," said Almos. "This is not a place for amateur climbers right now."