ANCHORAGE, AK – A fatal accident in Denali National Park and Preserve led to a climber’s death and another being severely injured following a 1,000-foot fall on Mount Johnson in Alaska. Another climbing party present on the scene reported the incident around 10:45 p.m. on Thursday.
The accident occurred while the climbers were attempting a challenging route called “the Escalator.” This route requires traversing steep ice, snow, and rock patches on the mountain’s southeast side. One of them fell 305 meters, resulting in a fatal mishap.
The witnesses not only reported the incident but also managed to reach the fall site. Upon arrival, they confirmed one death and began to assist the surviving, but seriously injured, climber by building a snow cave for shelter.
Early Friday morning, a rescue helicopter with two mountaineering rangers aboard flew out from Talkeetna, the base for the park’s mountaineering operations. Their swift efforts enabled them to rescue the surviving climber, who received further medical care via airlift.
The rescue team also attempted to recover the body of the deceased climber but had to halt due to worsening weather conditions. According to the park’s officials, plans are in place to resume the recovery operation as soon as the weather conditions are appropriate.
No identification details of the deceased climber are currently available as authorities await family notification. Denali National Park, where the unfortunate incident took place, is situated approximately 240 miles north of Anchorage.