Three climbers on Alaska’s Mount McKinley have died after falling near a dangerous pass on North America’s highest peak, a Latvian mountaineering group said Friday. A fourth climber was rescued.
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The group said the four were members of a Latvian mountaineering expedition. The National Park Service said Wednesday’s fall was part of a seven-person team traversing the route, which is known for its exposed stretches and has been the site of numerous injuries and deaths over the years.
Mount McKinley is approximately 20,310 feet above sea level, and the rescued climbers were lowered from the mountain at approximately 17,200 feet by Denali National Park and Preserve search and rescue crews late Thursday afternoon. Park officials said Friday that a long line of helicopters was used for the rescue because the terrain and conditions prevented the helicopter from landing. The climber was later airlifted to a hospital.
The fall occurred while climbing near the 18,200-foot Denali Pass, the Park Service said. Several other details were also provided. The other three members of the climbing group helped with rescue efforts but began to feel “deteriorating in health,” the park authority said. Crews evacuated them from the mountain on Friday.
The group was on the West Buttress Route, the most popular route to the summit. It is known for its crevasses, sheer ice, and exposed ridges.
The traverse between the 17,200-foot area known as High Camp and Denali Pass has been the site of many climbing injuries and fatalities over the years, mostly due to unprotected falls, the park said. Most fatal accidents along mountain passes occur when climbers are descending the mountain.
The park says park rangers and mountain guides are installing and maintaining snow pickets (used to build anchors to further protect areas such as steep slopes) between High Camp and Denali Pass. The area, also known as the Autobahn, is characterized by snow and ice slopes that range from deep snow to hard ice with avalanche risks, authorities said.
Climbers can set up their own pickets if they want, but “sometimes you have to push through really thick snow and ice,” said Clint Helander, a mountaineer who has summited McKinley and climbed the mountain many times.
Heavy glaciation, rapid weather changes, altitude and the sheer size of the summit make climbing McKinley a “huge undertaking,” he said. Climbers also need to carry a significant amount of equipment as it can be a long expedition, he said.
“It’s very easy for something to happen and turn a simple trip into an epic one,” Helander said.
Only about 1,000 to 1,200 climbers attempt to reach the summit of Mount McKinley each year, primarily in May and June. The journey usually takes about 17 days, but less than half reached the summit last year, according to park statistics.
According to park statistics, more than 130 people have died on the mountain in the park’s history, including two last year. In 2012, four climbers from Japan died when a shallow avalanche pushed them into a crevasse.
There were 516 climbers on the mountain as of Thursday, Park Service spokesman Scott Carr said.
Two climbers who were not part of the crash group were evacuated from the mountain by helicopter on Wednesday, the park service said.
