A Malaysian climber, Zulkifli Bin Yusof, likely died of exposure and altitude-related illness earlier this week after sheltering in a snow cave near the top of Denali, North America’s tallest mountain in Alaska. Yusof was part of a three-man climbing team from the Alpine Club of Malaysia in Selangor. They put out a distress call on Tuesday, indicating they were hypothermic and unable to descend on their own. Denali park rangers communicated with the climbers for several hours through a portable device that uses satellite technology to send messages.
One of the climbers was rescued on Tuesday night after descending to a 17,200-foot camp with severe frostbite and hypothermia. Attempts to reach the other climbers were unsuccessful due to high winds and clouds. However, on Thursday, a park high-altitude helicopter pilot dropped a duffle bag of survival gear near the climbers’ location. Another rescue attempt was made on Friday when weather conditions improved, and a short haul basket was successfully dropped to rescue one of the climbers, who was in surprisingly strong condition considering what he had endured.
The rescued climber was medevaced to an Anchorage hospital for additional care, while the other survivor is also recovering at a hospital. The names of the climbers have not been released by the park. Two of the three men had previous experience on Denali and had climbed other high-elevation mountains before. The National Park Service recovered Yusof’s body on Friday night at a 19,600-foot elevation cave in Denali National Park and Preserve.
The rescue efforts were hampered by high winds and challenging weather conditions, but as conditions improved, rescue teams were able to drop necessary supplies and rescue one of the climbers. The climbers had been stranded in the snow cave with minimal survival gear, which likely contributed to Yusof’s death from exposure and altitude-related illness. Despite the tragic outcome for Yusof, the successful rescue of one of the climbers highlights the dedication and skill of the rescue teams involved in the operation.
The incident serves as a reminder of the risks and challenges associated with high-altitude mountaineering, particularly on a mountain as challenging as Denali. Climbers must be prepared for extreme weather conditions, altitude sickness, and the threat of exposure. The importance of proper gear, training, and communication devices cannot be overstated in such environments. The climbing community mourns the loss of Yusof and hopes that lessons can be learned from this tragedy to prevent similar incidents in the future.
