LANE COUNTY, Ore. — A young man from Bend was killed after falling hundreds of feet while climbing North Sister Monday, his family said.
Joel Tranby was near the summit with his girlfriend, Fiona, when it happened.
Search and Rescue crews had yet to find his body but Tuesday night transitioned from a rescue effort to a recovery effort.
Tranby’s family shared a photo of Joel and Fiona, along with the following statement:
“Our family is devastated by the loss of Joel. We are thankful for the efforts of Lane and Deschutes County SARs, Civil Air Patrol, law enforcement, friends and family both local and around the world, and Foundry Church for supporting us and seeking to bring Joel home. Joel was doing something he loved, with the person he loved, in the outdoors and we know that brought him joy. Joel loved God and put his faith in Him. We are now trusting God for comfort in the days ahead. We continue to pray that his body will be found and ask for privacy at this time so we can heal as a family.”
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The Lane County Sheriff’s Office posted about the incident on Facebook Wednesday afternoon. It did not mention Tranby by name. It also did not mention his condition, but the sheriff’s office told Central Oregon Daily News that he is “presumed dead.”
Lane County said it got a call from the victim’s girlfriend. They were near the summit of the 10,085 peak at about 12:18 p.m. when the climber fell 300-500 feet. The caller couldn’t see or get to him due to the terrain.
The climber stopped responding verbally before searchers arrived.
Lane County Search and Rescue and Mountain Rescue determined the climber had fallen into a very steep ravine with extremely unstable boulders. The area is described as “extremely dangerous and inaccessible to searchers by foot.”
An Oregon National Guard Blackhawk crew and teams from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Mountain Rescue and an AirLink helicopter assisted in the search.
Civil Air Patrol continued the search Tuesday using a high-resolution camera and more ground teams using a drone.
Lane County said future plans for a recovery will depend on an analysis of the data from the high-resolution photos and the drone.
