One mountain climber has died and another has been seriously injured after falling approximately 1,000 feet off of a mountain in Denali National Park in Alaska, authorities say.
The incident occurred on Thursday night when the two-person climbing team were scaling Mt. Johnson, an 8,400-foot peak located in Denali National Park and Preserve’s Ruth Gorge, when the roped climbers were ascending a route known as “the Escalator,” a steep and technical alpine climb on the peak’s southeast face. The approximately 5,000-foot route involves navigating a mix of steep rock, ice, and snow, according to a statement from the National Park Service.
“The fall was witnessed by another climbing party on the route, who alerted the Alaska Regional Communication Center at approximately 10:45 pm,” the National Park Service said. “The reporting party then descended to the accident victims and confirmed one climber had died in the fall. The responders dug a snow cave and attended to the surviving climber’s injuries throughout the night.”
At approximately 7:00 a.m. on Friday morning, the park’s high altitude rescue helicopter pilot and two mountaineering rangers launched from Talkeetna and, after an initial reconnaissance flight of the accident zone, a mountaineering ranger was short-hauled via long line to the awaiting climbers, the National Park Service said.
The “Escalator” route on Mt. Johnson, Denali National Park and Preserve. The X indicates the approximate location of the rescue of the surviving climbing partner.
NPS Photo / J. Kayes
“Together, the ranger and injured patient were short-hauled out to a flat glacier staging area, and then loaded into the helicopter for the flight to Talkeetna,” read the National Park Service statement. “The patient was transferred to a LifeMed air ambulance at the Talkeetna State Airport for further care.”
The park helicopter and two rangers subsequently returned to the accident site later on Friday morning in an attempt to recover the body of the deceased climber but they were “turned back due to deteriorating weather and increasing cloud cover. NPS rangers will return to the site when weather conditions allow,” the National Park Service said.
The identity of the deceased climber is being withheld until family members are notified and an investigation into the circumstances around the accident remains ongoing.