Two climbers were awaiting rescue near the peak of Denali, North America’s tallest mountain, after reaching the 20,310-foot summit during the busiest time of the mountaineering season. The climbers, along with a third member of their team, became hypothermic and unable to descend after their summit. While the condition of the two climbers awaiting rescue was not immediately known, the third climber was rescued late Tuesday. All three climbers had experience on high-elevation international peaks, with two having prior history on Denali.
After sending an SOS message at 1 a.m. Tuesday, indicating their hypothermic state, the climbers communicated with park rangers until around 3:30 a.m. when they planned to descend to a location known as the “Football Field” at around 19,600 feet. However, rangers lost contact with the climbers after that and their satellite communication device did not move. The Alaskan Rescue Coordination Center was called in to assist due to cloud cover preventing the park’s high-altitude helicopter from reaching the mountain from Talkeetna, about 50 miles away.
Two of the climbers were located between the 19,000 and 20,000-foot levels of the mountain while the third was spotted by a climbing guide at 18,600 feet. Due to clearing conditions in the evening, the high-altitude helicopter was able to land at a camp for climbers at 14,200 feet and evacuate two climbers with frostbite to Talkeetna. One of the climbers who sent the distress message had descended to 17,200 feet, suffering from severe frostbite and hypothermia, and received aid from a guided party before being evacuated from the mountain and later medevaced from Talkeetna.
The remaining two climbers, located at the “Football Field,” were being assisted by an experienced expedition guide. However, clouds and windy conditions prevented rescuers from reaching them on Wednesday, either by aircraft or ascending the mountain. The park service personnel were waiting for conditions to improve before making further rescue attempts. It was unknown how much survival equipment the two climbers had, but it was likely minimal as teams often go up lighter on summit days to move faster.
This dramatic rescue operation was not considered out of the ordinary by park officials, as it was the beginning of the busiest two weeks of the climbing season with 506 climbers currently attempting to summit Denali. Another 117 climbers had completed their attempts, with 17 reaching the summit. The park service highlighted the importance of being prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions and the need for climbers to have adequate survival gear. The challenging conditions on Denali emphasize the importance of experience and preparation for mountaineers taking on such extreme challenges.
