In White Mountains, hiker dies amid high winds and frigid temps

An experienced hiker died this week in New Hampshire’s White Mountains after he was trapped overnight Tuesday in an area beset by high winds, singledigit temperatures, and snow, officials said.

Christopher Roma, 37, of Thornton, N.H., “was an experienced and well-known hiker who hiked extensively throughout New Hampshire’s White Mountains and beyond,” the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said.

Around 10:20 p.m. on Tuesday, concerned acquaintances called 911 to alert authorities that Roma was in distress and likely near Mount Bond in Lincoln, officials said.

The friends had spoken to Roma by cell phone when he was believed to be in the area of Mount Bond and headed toward Bondcliff, officials said.

Roma eventually called 911 and cell phone coordinates placed him between Mount Bond and Mount Guyot, officials said. Roma said he was “very cold” before the call was disconnected, officials said.

The Fish and Game Department launched a rescue effort along with the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team and Mountain Rescue Service, with the first rescuers making their way toward Roma around 2 a.m. Wednesday, officials said.

“The rescue effort was slowed as the responders had to trudge through waist-deep snow, and once the rescuers were exposed above [the] tree line they faced heavy winds and blowing snow,” officials said.

Officials sought help from the New Hampshire Army National Guard, which repeatedly attempted helicopter rescues, the Fish and Game Department said.

“Throughout the day the New Hampshire Army National Guard flew three separate flights to the Lincoln area but could never get near Mount Guyot due to low clouds and poor visibility,” the agency said.

A Mountain Rescue Service team reached Roma at 5 p.m. Wednesday and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Rescuers came off the mountain with plans to retrieve his body the next morning, officials said.

The Army National Guard left Concord at sunrise “to attempt an aerial recovery,” with temperatures in the single digits and “considerable wind in the area,” Fish and Game said.

But the cloud ceiling had lifted somewhat overnight, allowing the helicopter to land on Mount Guyot and recover Roma’s body around 8:30 a.m., officials said.

“The aerial recovery saved what would have been an arduous carry-out for the 15 Conservation Officers and over 30 volunteers who had responded,” officials said.