List of people who died on the Presidential Range explained

The Presidential Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire consist of a series of mountains whose maximum elevation reaches and represent some of the highest mountains in the United States east of the Mississippi River. Fatalities in this area are dominated by those that occur on Mount Washington, the highest peak in the range. It is notorious for its unpredictable and inclement weather, making it one of the deadliest mountains in the continental United States. Due to its unique location relative to other geographic features, it holds the world record for highest recorded surface wind speed not within a tropical cyclone. Huntington Ravine, on the mountain's eastern face, has been classified by local search and rescue teams as the most dangerous hike in the White Mountains due to high exposure and steep rock climbs and scrambles over cliff faces.^[1]

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department conducts an average of 200 rescues a year for hikers in need of assistance.^[2] Mt. Washington itself has had more fatalities per vertical foot than any other mountain in the world, and has been listed among the ten deadliest mountains in the world.^{[3] [4]}

Fatalities

The following table lists 176 known fatalities and missing persons within the Presidential Range. Many fatalities occur during spring, autumn and winter, particularly when the weather in the surrounding lower elevations is slightly above average for the season.

Name	Date	Age	State or country of origin	Cause of death	Location	Mountain
		29		Hypothermia	Clay Brook	Washington	[5] [6]
		23		Hypothermia	Summit	Washington
		75		Hypothermia	Summit	Washington
				Drowning	Peabody River
				Natural Causes	Summit	Washington
		29		Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
		21		Hypothermia	Summit	Washington
				Accident	Mount Washington Carriage Road	Washington
		15		Falling snow arch	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		24		Missing		Washington
		63		Hypothermia	Lakes of the Clouds	Washington
		28		Hypothermia	Summit	Washington
				Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
		18		Missing	Summit	Washington
		19		Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
		21		Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
Harriman				Drowning	Jefferson Brook
				Hypothermia	Pinkham Notch	Washington
		18		Hypothermia	Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail	Washington
				Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
				Drowning	Dry River
		19		Falling ice	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		22		Hypothermia	Cog Railway	Washington
		22		Hypothermia	Cog Railway route	Washington
		19		Hypothermia	Old Crawford Path	Washington
		21		Hypothermia	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		17		Drowning	Peabody River
		19		Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		24		Falling ice	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		55		Heart attack	Caps Ridge Trail	Jefferson
		17		Hypothermia	Gulfside Trail	Adams
		19		Fall into a crevasse	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		27		Hypothermia	Caps Ridge Trail	Jefferson
				Injury while skiing the Little Headwall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		16		Injuries sustained from fall while skiing	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
				Fall while skiing on Headwall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
				Injuries sustained from fall while skiing	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		50		Hypothermia after collapse due to illness	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		25		Avalanche / Hypothermia	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		23		Avalanche / Hypothermia	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		28	/	Avalanche	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		21		Fall
		37		Fall		Clay
		28		Falling ice	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		24		Hypothermia	Crawford Path	Washington
		17		Hypothermia	Crawford Path	Washington
		44		Heart attack	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		42		Hypothermia	Clay Loop Trail	Clay
		67		Hypothermia	Nelson Crag	Washington
		28		Avalanche	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		39		Avalanche	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		38		Heart attack	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		31		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington	[7]
		32		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		7		Accident	Cog Railway	Washington	[8]
		38		Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
		2		Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
		22		Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
		15		Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
		9		Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
		55		Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
		56		Accident	Cog Railway	Washington
		19		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		19		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		24		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		17		Fall		Adams
		62		Natural causes	Crawford Path	Jackson
		26		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		26		Plane crash	Boott Spur	Washington
		20		Plane crash	Boott Spur	Washington
		26		Plane crash	Boott Spur	Washington
		47		Plane crash	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		54		Plane crash	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		47		Hypothermia	Cog Railway	Washington
		16		Drowning	Dry River
		18		Drowning	Dry River
		21		Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		49		Heart attack	King Ravine Trail	Adams
		16		Fall while skiing	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		56		Plane crash	Gray Knob	Adams
		53		Plane crash	Gray Knob	Adams
		37		Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		80		Heart attack	Lakes of the Clouds	Washington
		24		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington	[9]
		25		Fall in Hillman's Highway	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		22		Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		21		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		26		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		26		Fall	Webster Cliff Trail	Webster	[10]
		24		Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		16		Fall	Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail	Washington
		43		Heart attack	Tuckerman Ravine Trail	Washington
		18		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		73		Stroke	Summit	Washington
		28		Avalanche	Lion Head Trail	Washington	[11]
		25		Fall while climbing ravine	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		47		Stroke	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		21		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		23		Fall	Raymond Cataract	Washington
		19		Fall	Tuckerman Ravine Trail	Washington
		22		Automobile crash	Mount Washington Auto Road	Washington	[12]
		88		Heart attack	Summit	Washington
		25		Suicide	Valley Way Trail	Madison
		56		Heart attack	Castle Trail	Jefferson	[13]
		53		Heart attack	Tuckerman Ravine Trail	Washington
		52		Hypothermia		Madison
		39		Fall	Great Gulf	Washington	[14]
		34		Plane crash	Great Gulf	Washington
		24		Plane crash	Great Gulf	Washington
		27		Plane crash	Great Gulf	Washington
		41		Avalanche	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		46		Hypothermia	Cog Railway	Washington
		65		Heart attack	Alpine Garden	Washington
		20		Hypothermia	Summit	Jefferson
		40		Hypothermia	Alpine Garden	Washington	[15]
		28		Hypothermia	Alpine Garden	Washington
		22		Fall into a crevasse while sliding	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington	[16]
		25		Falling ice	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		63		Natural causes	Summit	Washington
		31		Fall while skiing in Hillman's Highway	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		19		Avalanche	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington	[17]
		48		Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		50		Hypothermia	Mt. Pleasant Brook	Eisenhower
		50		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		35		Avalanche	Gulf of Slides	Washington
		35		Avalanche	Gulf of Slides	Washington
		29		Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		44		Natural causes	Summit	Washington
		66		Natural causes	Summit	Madison
		42		Avalanche	Gulf of Slides	Washington
		26		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		22		Fall while skiing in The Chute	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		52		Murder	Glen Boulder Trail	Washington	[18]
		46		Heart attack	Crawford Path	Pierce	[19]
		71		Hypothermia	Gulfside Trail	Madison
		57		Natural causes
		32		Avalanche	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington	[20] [21]
		46		Avalanche	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington
		28		Fall	Huntington Ravine	Washington
		39		Fall	Great Gulf	Clay	[22]
		50		Natural causes	Davis Path	Washington	[23]
		46		Missing	Hermit Lake	Washington	[24]
		39		Avalanche	Huntington Ravine	Washington	[25]
		70		Hypothermia	Lion Head Trail	Washington	[26]
		65		Automobile crash	Mount Washington Auto Road	Washington	[27]
		62		Fall off the Headwall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington	[28]
		24		Fall off the Headwall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington	[29]
		46		Fall off the Headwall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington	[30]
		67		Fall into a crevasse	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington	[31]
		57		Natural causes	Huntington Ravine	Washington	[32]
		64		Fall	Great Gully, King's Ravine	Adams	[33]
		24		Fall	Pinnacle Gully, Huntington Ravine	Washington	[34]
		25		Fall	Tuckerman Ravine Trail	Washington	[35]
		69		Heart attack	Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail	Washington	[36]
		63		Heart attack	Caps Ridge Trail	Jefferson	[37]
		32		Hypothermia	Star Lake Trail	Adams	[38]
		51		Heart attack	Crawford Path	Pierce	[39]
		54		Hypothermia	Castle Ravine Trail	Jefferson	[40] [41]
		47		Hypothermia	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington	[42] [43]
		62		Natural causes	Caps Ridge Trail	Jefferson	[44]
		63			Isolation Trail	Pierce	[45]
		66		Natural causes	Lion Head Trail	Washington	[46]
		37		Fall	Central Gully, Huntington Ravine	Washington	[47] [48]
		21		Missing	Lion Head Winter Route	Washington	[49] [50]
		32		Avalanche	Raymond Cataract	Washington	[51]
		63		Hypothermia	Tuckerman Ravine Trail	Washington	[52]
		60			Summit	Jefferson	[53] [54]
		54		Avalanche	Ammonoosuc Ravine	Washington	[55] [56]
		66		Natural causes	Jewell Trail	Washington	[57] [58]
		53		Hypothermia	Gulfside Trail	Clay	[59] [60]
John R. Quick Jr.		65		Hypothermia	Jewell Trail	Washington	[61]
Yanick Belanger		46		Heart attack	Summit		[62]
Jason Apreku		21			Osgood Trail		[63]
		20		Fall	Tuckerman Ravine	Washington	[64]
		65		Crushed by boulder	Dry River Wilderness	Monroe	[65]
		72		Exposure	Gulfside Trail	Washington	[66] [67]

References

1. https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/hiker-injured-climbing-mt-washingtons-toughest-trail-safe-after-harrowing-13-hour-rescue/3163678/#:~:text=%22The%20Huntington%20Ravine%20Trail%20is,Game%20Department%20said%20in%20a
2. Web site: As Hikers Flock To The White Mountains, Search And Rescue Missions Are On The Rise. WBUR. en. 2019-10-13. 2019-10-19.
3. https://gearjunkie.com/climbing/mountaineering/worlds-10-most-dangerous-mountains
4. https://www.backpacker.com/trips/america-s-10-most-dangerous-hikes-mt-washington-nh/
5. Web site: Surviving Mount Washington. Mount Washington Observatory. 2013-08-17. 2016-08-22. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130817095515/http://www.mountwashington.org/about/visitor/surviving.php. 2013-08-17.
6. Book: Howe, Nicholas. Not Without Peril. AMC Books. 2009. 978-1-934028-32-2.
7. Web site: New Hampshire, Mt. Washington. American Alpine Club. 2016-08-22.
8. Web site: 'Cog Days': McQuaid pens ode to youth on mountain railway. The Conway Daily Sun. 2022-03-02. Eastman. Tom. 2017-09-28.
9. Web site: Fall/Slip on Ice, Exceeded Abilities—New Hampshire, Mt. Washington, Huntington's Ravine. American Alpine Club. 2019-08-03.
10. News: Hiking Mishap Fatal to Man. Manchester Evening Herald. August 7, 1979. September 15, 2020.
11. Web site: Fall on Snow, Inexperience — New Hampshire, Mount Washington. American Alpine Club. 2016-08-23.
12. Web site: A Cambridge, Mass., woman has been killed in what.... UPI. en. 2019-09-01.
13. Web site: Mt. Washington’s fatalities . New Hampshire Magazine . 13 August 2022 . May 9, 2019.
14. Web site: Deaths on Mt. Washington. 2002-04-29. 2016-08-23. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20020429014519/http://www.lexicomm.com/whites/deaths.html. 2002-04-29.
15. Web site: Monroe Couper, 40, Composer and Teacher. New York Times. 1994-03-05. 2023-09-22.
16. Web site: Mt. Wash hiker plummets to death. Semet. Amy. May 4, 1994. The Dartmouth. August 21, 2016.
17. News: N.H. avalanche kills 1, injures 1. UPI. 2017-05-29. en.
18. Web site: 2001 fatal stabbing of Canadian hiker in Pinkham Notch remains unsolved. Wheeler. Christine DeLong. 2018-11-29. WMUR. en. 2019-09-02.
19. Web site: Beloved family man dies. Jason. Schreiber. Barbara. Polletta. seacoastonline.com. en. 2019-09-01.
20. Web site: Avalanche takes life of Radcliffe's Sandberg. The Harvard Gazette. December 5, 2002. February 12, 2019.
21. Web site: Two die in avalanche on Mount Washington. Southeast Missourian. 2002-11-30. 2016-08-22.
22. News: A Vershire, Vt., man was killed and two were injured in a backcountry skiing accident on Mount Clay.. Conway Daily Sun. 2021-06-20. en-us.
23. News: Updating the 'death list'. The Berlin Sun. 2017-05-29. en-us.
24. Web site: Disappearance raises questions. seacoastonline.com. en. 2019-08-27.
25. Web site: Avalanche.org - Detailed Accident Report. www.avalanche.org. 2016-08-23.
26. Web site: The Last Day of Peter Shintani. 2009-07-14. Giving Up Control. 2016-08-23.
27. Web site: Brockton businessman killed in New Hampshire motorcycle crash. Papadopoulos. Maria. The Enterprise, Brockton, MA. en. 2019-09-01.
28. Web site: Hiker falls to death at Tuckerman's Ravine. seacoastonline.com. en. 2019-08-27.
29. Web site: NJ Man Falls to Death Off NH's Mount Washington. NBC Philadelphia. 2010-07-20. en-US. 2019-08-26.
30. Web site: Local climber killed in fall. The Sun Chronicle. 2012-01-11. en-US. 2019-08-26.
31. Web site: Tuckerman Ravine–Crevasse fall fatality. Mount Washington Avalanche Center. 2012-04-01. en-US. 2019-08-26.
32. Web site: Hiker dies after suffering medical emergency on Mount Washington. Eisele. Erik. The Conway Daily Sun. en. 2019-09-01.
33. Web site: Texas climber identified in N.H. fall. seacoastonline.com. en. 2019-09-01.
34. Web site: Avalanche - Climbing Alone and Unroped. American Alpine Club. 2014. en-US. 2019-02-21.
35. Web site: Hiker dies from fall while descending Mount Washington. Portland Press Herald. 2013-09-20. en-US. 2016-08-23.
36. Web site: In Memory of Robert V. Fernandez MD. bibberfuneral.com. 2019-09-01.
37. Web site: Hiker From Maine Dies On Mount Jefferson. Associated Press. www.nhpr.org. en. 2019-09-01.
38. Web site: The young woman and the mountain. The Boston Globe. 2016-08-22.
39. Web site: Boy Scout leader dies on Father's Day hike with troop, 2 sons in NH. June 22, 2015. WMUR. 2019-08-31.
40. News: Head of Hiking Guide Service Found Dead in White Mountains. The Berlin Sun. 2017-05-29. en.
41. News: Autopsy done on hiker's frozen body. The Conway Daily Sun . 2019-06-19. en.
42. News: Searchers find body of missing hiker on Mt. Washington. New Hampshire Union Leader. 2017-05-06. en.
43. News: Mt. Washington's fatalities. New Hampshire Magazine . 2019-06-19. en.
44. News: Man dies of heart attack while hiking Mt. Jefferson; woman breaks her leg on Mt. Washington. New Hampshire Union Leader. 2017-05-29. en.
45. Web site: Missing N.J. Hiker's Body Found In New Hampshire Mountains. 2017-07-20. Brick, NJ Patch. en. 2019-09-01.
46. News: Hiker dies after becoming ill on Mount Washington. 2017-09-16. Boston.com. 2017-12-09. en-US.
47. Web site: Accident analysis: Long sliding fall in Huntington Ravine – Mount Washington Avalanche Center. en-US. 2019-08-04.
48. News: Boston Children's neuroscientist dies on Mount Washington. 2019-02-10. Boston.com. 2019-02-10. en-US.
49. Web site: Missing Person on Mount Washington. Mount Washington Avalanche Center. en-US. 2019-03-22. 2019-08-26.
50. Web site: Family of missing Dracut man searching, hoping for answers. Lowell Sun. en-US. 2019-04-19. 2019-08-26.
51. News: Man killed in avalanche near Tuckerman Ravine. WMUR. April 12, 2019. April 15, 2019.
52. News: One dead, one saved in two rescues on Mount Washington. The Boston Globe. June 14, 2019. June 14, 2019.
53. News: Two National Guard Helicopters Assist Fish and Game with Simultaneous Hiker Emergencies in the White Mountains. New Hampshire Fish and Game. September 14, 2020. September 15, 2020.
54. News: Man From Mashpee Dies While Hiking Mount Jefferson. The Mashpee Enterprise. September 15, 2020. September 20, 2020.
55. News: Experienced Skier Killed in Avalanche in New Hampshire's Ammonoosuc Ravine. Backcountry Magazine. February 4, 2021. February 6, 2021.
56. News: Avalanche Fatality, Ammonoosuc Ravine. Mount Washington Avalanche Center. February 1, 2021. February 9, 2021.
57. News: Man Dies While Hiking Jewell Trail. New Hampshire Fish and Game. August 16, 2021. December 27, 2021.
58. News: Naugatuck man dies while hiking Mount Washington. August 17, 2021.
59. News: New Hampshire hiker dies of injuries after high-risk snow rescue, officials say. Fox News. June 20, 2022.
60. News: Hypothermic Hiker Carried Off Gulfside Trail Near Mt. Clay. New Hampshire Fish and Game. June 19, 2022. June 20, 2022.
61. Web site: Larson . Shannon . John R. . Ellement . August 1, 2022. Hikers recall efforts to save life of Missouri man who died on Mount Washington . 2022-08-02 . BostonGlobe.com . en-US.
62. Web site: Hiker dies after collapsing at Mount Washington summit. August 25, 2022. WCAX.com. 2022-08-26.
63. Web site: Hiker from Pennsylvania dies during hike in White Mountains. August 12, 2023. WMUR9.
64. Web site: Skier dead after falling 600 feet down Tuckerman Ravine; 2 others suffer traumatic injuries, officials say. WMUR. 2024-03-10. 2024-03-11.
65. Web site: Body of long missing hiker found, pinned by boulder in Dry River. Concord Monitor. 2024-05-14.
66. Web site: Man found dead near summit of Mount Washington. Beth Treffeisen. Boston.com. August 23, 2024.
67. Web site: Falls Church parishioner dies in hiking accident. The Arlington Catholic Herald. 2024-09-13.