North to the Future
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Noor
Citizen of the World
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Agreed!
thør
Karhu-er
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One climber stranded for days near Denali summit rescued, the other is dead
https://www.adn.com/resizer/MNnuam2LoaCiplY32dSrhuNo2XU=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/GCGOFNMZS5AOJLF5UX52MSFMLA.jpg
This image shows the South Summit of Denali and the approximate location of the Football Field feature where two Malaysian climbers are reported to have sheltered in a crude snow cave. (Photo provided by NPS)
One climber stranded near the summit of Denali since Tuesday was rescued by helicopter Friday morning, the National Park Service said, but his climbing partner died awaiting rescue.
Clouds and high winds prevented park authorities from reaching the men until about 6 a.m. Friday. The park service’s high-altitude helicopter pilot dropped a bag of survival gear near their shelter around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, but winds were too strong to safely evacuate the men, Denali National Park and Preserve officials said in a media statement. The pilot said one man waved at him during the drop.
The pilot and a ranger returned Friday with a short-haul rescue basket at the end of a rope line, and the surviving climber was evacuated to the 7,200-foot Kahiltna base camp, the park service said. From there he was taken to the Talkeetna airport and then flown to an Anchorage hospital, park spokesman Paul Ollig said.
The severity of his injuries wasn’t immediately known, but Ollig said he was “in surprisingly strong condition and walking on his own when they arrived in Talkeetna.”
The climber told authorities his partner died two days earlier in their snow cave, the park service said.
The two Malaysian climbers, ages 36 and 47, became exhausted and hypothermic after reaching the mountain’s 20,310-foot summit and called for help around 1 a.m. Tuesday. They had sheltered in a crude snow cave at 19,600 feet since Tuesday night, the statement said.
Another man from their group had descended to the high camp on Tuesday and was evacuated that night in serious condition, park officials said.
Park rangers received five short messages in rapid succession from the stranded climbers on Wednesday night confirming their location, requesting help and notifying authorities that their InReach was nearly out of battery, the park service said.
An experienced guide had provided aid to the stranded men on Tuesday, but had descended to the mountain’s 17,200-foot high camp that night for his own safety as winds increased, the park service said.
A ground crew of rangers and mountaineering volunteers was on standby at the high camp Thursday to attempt a rescue if weather permitted, the park service said. The helicopter pilot was also on standby Thursday.
The rescue was particularly challenging because it took place at such high elevation, Ollig said.
All three climbers had “multiple high-elevation international peaks listed in their climbing history,” Ollig said. Two of the men had prior experience climbing Denali, he said.
There were 414 climbers on Denali Friday, according to Ollig. Ninety-nine of 236 previous climbers had reached the summit, for a 42% summit rate, he said.
Rangers will plan a recovery effort in the coming days and park officials will identify the man after his family has been notified, the statement said."
https://www.adn.com/resizer/MNnuam2LoaCiplY32dSrhuNo2XU=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/GCGOFNMZS5AOJLF5UX52MSFMLA.jpg
This image shows the South Summit of Denali and the approximate location of the Football Field feature where two Malaysian climbers are reported to have sheltered in a crude snow cave. (Photo provided by NPS)
One climber stranded near the summit of Denali since Tuesday was rescued by helicopter Friday morning, the National Park Service said, but his climbing partner died awaiting rescue.
Clouds and high winds prevented park authorities from reaching the men until about 6 a.m. Friday. The park service’s high-altitude helicopter pilot dropped a bag of survival gear near their shelter around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, but winds were too strong to safely evacuate the men, Denali National Park and Preserve officials said in a media statement. The pilot said one man waved at him during the drop.
The pilot and a ranger returned Friday with a short-haul rescue basket at the end of a rope line, and the surviving climber was evacuated to the 7,200-foot Kahiltna base camp, the park service said. From there he was taken to the Talkeetna airport and then flown to an Anchorage hospital, park spokesman Paul Ollig said.
The severity of his injuries wasn’t immediately known, but Ollig said he was “in surprisingly strong condition and walking on his own when they arrived in Talkeetna.”
The climber told authorities his partner died two days earlier in their snow cave, the park service said.
The two Malaysian climbers, ages 36 and 47, became exhausted and hypothermic after reaching the mountain’s 20,310-foot summit and called for help around 1 a.m. Tuesday. They had sheltered in a crude snow cave at 19,600 feet since Tuesday night, the statement said.
Another man from their group had descended to the high camp on Tuesday and was evacuated that night in serious condition, park officials said.
Park rangers received five short messages in rapid succession from the stranded climbers on Wednesday night confirming their location, requesting help and notifying authorities that their InReach was nearly out of battery, the park service said.
An experienced guide had provided aid to the stranded men on Tuesday, but had descended to the mountain’s 17,200-foot high camp that night for his own safety as winds increased, the park service said.
A ground crew of rangers and mountaineering volunteers was on standby at the high camp Thursday to attempt a rescue if weather permitted, the park service said. The helicopter pilot was also on standby Thursday.
The rescue was particularly challenging because it took place at such high elevation, Ollig said.
All three climbers had “multiple high-elevation international peaks listed in their climbing history,” Ollig said. Two of the men had prior experience climbing Denali, he said.
There were 414 climbers on Denali Friday, according to Ollig. Ninety-nine of 236 previous climbers had reached the summit, for a 42% summit rate, he said.
Rangers will plan a recovery effort in the coming days and park officials will identify the man after his family has been notified, the statement said."
thør
Karhu-er
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“Anchorage is an amazing place,” he said. “I don’t know any place that has as many visitors, concentrated in a small area, and does less to amuse them. Look at Fourth Avenue. It’s shop after shop after shop, trying to sell you a ticket to get out of town."
MaximillianMeen
Push the button Max!
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My wife and I were there a year ago this time, and it only got to the mid-50's. Sunny only the second half of the day.
thør
Karhu-er
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patient1
Mr. Cheyenne
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An interesting take, but my reaction is that if you travel there to be entertained, you're doing it wrong. It's a place to get a good room and a great meal and a selection of drinks after a long day of seeing, doing, (or possibly fur shopping) . Or maybe a long day of traveling to get there from the Lower 48, or elsewhere in Alaska. There is geography and wildlife to be seen, history to be learned and many awesome modes of transportation to do that.
thør
Karhu-er
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All relative. I hardly ever go downtown. It was fun two weeks ago seeing tourists wearing parkas on a sunny afternoon.
thør
Karhu-er
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thør
Karhu-er
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thør
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AndersonsBiographer
The Dude Abides
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Barge impact?
thør
Karhu-er
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