Experienced Tri-Cities climber killed in fall on one of WA’s most challenging peaks
Ross James Wallette, a popular Kennewick photographer, videographer and climbing guide, died Aug. 18 in a fall near the peak of one of the most challenging mountains in Washington’s Cascade Range.
He was 43.
The Whatcom County medical examiner attributed Wallette’s death to injuries suffered in the fall.
Roland Wallette of Kennewick said his son was accompanying a researcher to the summit of Mount Fury, southeast of Bellingham in North Cascades National Park, when the accident happened. He said his son had previously climbed Fury.
Wallette was working with Eric Gilbertson, a well-known mountain researcher at Seattle University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Wallette fell when he lost his hold while the crew ascended the Fury “Finger,” nearly 8,100 feet above sea level.
Fellow climbers witnessed the accident and Wallette’s time-lapse camera recorded it, his father said.
Rangers at the North Cascades National Park Service Complex responded by helicopter around 5:45 p.m., Katy Hooper told the Bellingham Herald. Officials estimated Wallette fell 200-300 feet.
Despite life-saving efforts and care from rescuers, he died from his injuries.
Outdoors and photography
Roland Wallette said his son had a dual love for the outdoors and for photography.
The Wallette family is originally from Montana but moved to Alaska, where Ross developed a passion for backpacking, hiking and being outdoors. He continued his mountain adventures after the family moved to southern Oregon.
When Roland Wallette was transferred to the Tri-Cities, he had doubts about comparably flat geography.
“What did I do to deserve this,” he wondered. Instead, the family put down roots and his son’s interest in climbing continued.
Ross Wallette went to Central Washington University in Ellensburg intending to study music. Instead, he discovered photography and changed his focus.
“His photography was his love,” his father said.
After graduating, he remained in Ellensburg and worked as a photographer shooting headshots, senior portraits, weddings and other key moments.
He pivoted to fashion photography after moving to Seattle. He worked in the field for about seven years before his career took him to Seoul, South Korea, where he met and married Kyeran.
Outdoor niche
Wanting to raise a family in the U.S., the couple moved to Kennewick, where their daughter, Gianna, was born in 2017.
Finding little demand for fashion photography in the Tri-Cities, he returned to commercial work until he spied an opportunity to unite his interests in the outdoors and photography: outdoor, adventure photography.
He would guide clients to an Airbnb and on hikes for unique shoots that captured important moments in spectacular settings.
He would lead couples high up on mountain slopes. Brides and grooms would tote their wedding clothes with them, changing in tents for photo sessions.
He found another unmet need in the technical climbing world – climbers who take on difficult, technical new routes.
He began photographing difficult climbs about five years ago. He was scheduled to work with Outdoor magazine on a photo shoot at Mount Rainier the weekend after he died.
Wallette accomplished a major personal goal in September 2024 when he became the 94th person to finish the Washington Bulger List.
The honor is reserved for climbers who summit Washington’s 100 highest peaks.
His pursuit was delayed for months by a gym accident that left him with a broken ankle. He “bagged” his last seven peaks after mending.
Some of his Bulger adventures are documented in a YouTube film he made following a young climber’s pursuit of the Bulger 100 in a single season.
In addition to his wife, daughter and father, Wallette is survived by his mother, Gina, also of Kennewick, his sister, Risa Miller, and brother, Rylan Wallette.
A memorial service is planned at 2 p.m. Friday at C3 Tri-Cities, 150 Gage Blvd., Richland.
Einan’s at Hillcrest in Kennewick is in charge of arrangements.