Six climbers are reported to have gone missing on the 14,410ft Mount Rainier, prompting the launch of a helicopter search on Saturday, a National Parks spokeswoman said.
The missing group, skilled-male climbers, included four clients of Seattle-based Alpine Ascents International and two guides, the Associated Press reported.
They were supposed to return from the ascent on Friday, but never checked in with the climbing company or park rangers, according to director of programs Gordon Janow.
"They generally check in when they leave the park at the end of the day, but we didn't get in a check in the morning, which you know happens, and then by the afternoon alerted the rangers to keep an eye out for them," Janow told the Guardian.
Park officials were notified immediately, Park Ranger Fawn Bauer said.
"The last contact with them was at 12,800 feet," Bauer said.
Mount Rainier, southeast of Seattle, stands at 14,410 feet and attracts thousands of climbers trying to reach its summit every year, according to the AP.
Focusing on the northwest shoulder of the mountain at the Liberty Ridge area, the search for the missing climbers is being done near where they were last heard from, Bauer said.
Saturday's search includes a team of three climbing rangers on the ground and flyovers with a Hughes helicopter. An Army Chinook helicopter is on standby at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The group contacted the climbing company on Wednesday for the last time. With a day to climb down, they were scheduled to reach the summit of Mount Rainier on Thursday.
The group is equipped with satellite and mobile phones.
Alpine Ascents' director of programs, Gordon Janow, said he wasn't ready to release information about the climbers.
"Let's hope they're found and that it goes well," he said.
Information about the climbers, such as names and ages, was not immediately available, the Guardian reported.
"They're all proficient climbers based in the U.S.," said Janow.
