PALOUSE FALLS, Wash. – A professional climber was able to climb the ice on the Palouse Falls.
State Parks officials said it is the first time, to their knowledge, that someone has done this but they don’t want to encourage it.
Jess Roskelley is a professional climber and has even climbed Mount Everest.
"It was about one degree when we left the parking lot and went for it,” said Roskelley.
His friend Scott Coldirons was belaying for him as he climbed the raging falls hidden under the ice. As he climbed, Coldirons was being pelted with ice.
"I think he had it worse than I did," he explained.
While Roskelley knows what he’s doing, people who don’t can create a major headache for first responders. According to Washington State Parks, between 2015 and now there have been 13 rescues at Palouse Falls. It might not sound like a lot, but State Parks points out that each rescue can require a lot of work. This terrain is tricky, remote, and doesn’t have great cell service. Most nearby first responders in Franklin County are volunteers. Sometimes helicopters are needed and that's expensive.
The amount of visitors to the park is on the rise, too. The annual number of people has doubled doubling between 2012 and 2015. To the knowledge of state parks, Roskelley is the first person to ice climb there.
"It was just a cool place to be and a cool place to enjoy climbing. Good nature, good view," said Roskelley.