Late snow blocks climber’s 10 peaks in six days attempt

MOUNTAINEERING — Near the top of Eastern Oregon’s nearly 10,000-foot Sacajawea Peak, Steve Kominsky of Medford found himself staring at an all-too familiar barrier between himself and Oregon mountaineering history.

A 25-foot snow cliff, slickened under the mid-summer sun, shouldn’t be there in July. But there it was, the last impediment to reaching the top.

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To see two short videos shot by Steve Kominsky, on Steen Mountain and South Sister, go to the Oregon Outdoors Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Oregon-Outdoors/162141490490326

One slip and he’d tumble 1,300 feet or more. He thought of his pregnant wife, Heather, his 15-month-old son, Dawson.

“It was one of those moments of, ‘What do I really need to do here?’ ” Kominsky, 28, told Mark Freeman, outdoors writer for the Medford Mail. “No summit is worth that risk.”

Indeed, the elements, not his mettle, have kept Kominsky from reaching his goal of climbing Oregon’s 10 tallest peaks in six consecutive days.

His personal “Oregon 10-in-6 Challenge” ended Friday atop Mount Hood as something of a bust, with the uber-athlete able to reach the summit at only four of his high-altitude quests.

Gnarly, way-above-average snowpacks have forced him to turn back at six others, even when he stood as close as 300 feet from the top of Middle Sister on Wednesday, Freeman reported.

“It’s honestly disappointing,” Kominsky said Wednesday as he climbed down South Sister after reaching its summit. “There’s no doubt in my mind that the 10-in-6 is completely doable.

“Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about the conditions,” he says.

See a his short video from the summit of South Sister near Bend, Ore.