Fallen climber rescued at Alaska’s Denali National Park
Clouds partially obscure Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America, as seen from inside Denali National Park, Alaska, on September 22, 2022. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
TALKEETNA, Alaska (AP) - National Park Service rangers rescued a climber who fell from a 16,000-foot-high (4,800-meter-high) ridge at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska, officials said Saturday.
A mountaineering ranger evacuated the 24-year-old Japanese climber from a point at 15,100 feet (4,602 meters) in elevation, park officials said.
The climber suffered minor injuries and was transferred by helicopter to a hospital, officials said.
The climber was climbing with a partner on Friday, on the West Buttress climbing route on Denali just above the fixed line at 16,200 feet (4,937 meters).
The climber’s partner told rangers early Saturday morning the fall occurred Friday around 11 p.m. while they were on a route known as the West Buttress to Peters Glacier, the agency said. The partner saw the fall but couldn’t see where the climber came to rest.
Rangers began an aerial and ground search for the climber, but cloudy weather conditions prevented a helicopter from accessing the climber’s location, officials said. The ground search was based at Denali Base Camp, at 14,000 feet (4,200 meters).
The incident comes just over a week after two climbers who went missing at the park were presumed dead.
Denali is a 6-million acre (2.4-million hectare) park about a 120-mile (193-kilometer) drive north of Anchorage.