Rescue teams attempting to reach 2 hypothermic climbers stranded near Denali’s summit

The Denali Park Road curls astir a mountainside adjacent nan Polychrome Overlook connected Sunday, May 3, 2020. (Nat Herz/Alaska Public Media)

Multiple rescue agencies were moving Wednesday to scope 2 climbers stranded for much than a time adjacent Denali’s summit, aft rescuing 3 different climbers suffering from terrible frostbite.

Denali National Park and Preserve spokesperson Paul Ollig said Wednesday day that nan 2 climbers were astatine a level spot connected nan upland called nan “Football Field,” astatine an elevation of 19,600 feet.

According to a connection from nan park, a squad of 3 climbers atop nan 20,310-foot highest sent an SOS awesome from an InReach outer instrumentality astatine astir 1 a.m. Tuesday saying they were hypothermic and incapable to descend.

“Rangers maintained two-way communications pinch nan squad until astir 3:30 a.m., erstwhile nan squad texted that they planned to descend to nan ‘Football Field,’” parkland officials said successful nan statement. “Rangers did not perceive backmost from nan squad aft that transmission, nor did nan location of nan instrumentality change.”

The Alaska Air National Guard was called successful to thief pinch nan hunt Tuesday morning, owed to unreality screen that kept nan park’s high-altitude chopper from reaching nan mountain. An HC-130 hunt level unit spotted 2 of nan climbers betwixt 19,000 and 20,000 feet, pinch a guideline connected nan upland uncovering nan 3rd climber adjacent Zebra Rocks astatine 18,600 feet.

According to nan park, a abstracted brace of climbers suffering from frostbite were being treated by Park Service patrol members astatine nan mountain’s 14,200-foot camp. The chopper unit tried to scope nan summiters astatine astir 5 p.m. Tuesday, but alternatively landed astatine nan campy and rescued nan 2 climbers there. Both were flown to Talkeetna, pinch 1 transferred to a LifeMed aerial ambulance for further care.

The Park Service chopper made a 2nd effort to scope nan summiters astatine 9 p.m. Tuesday, but was again unsuccessful.

“By that point, 1 of nan 3 climbers had made their measurement down to nan 17,200-foot precocious campy pinch terrible frostbite and hypothermia,” parkland officials said. “A guided statement initially assisted nan diligent until transferring attraction to an NPS crushed squad who had ascended to precocious campy from 14,200-feet to support nan rescue effort.”

That climber was helicoptered to Talkeetna astatine astir 10:15 p.m. Tuesday nighttime and besides transferred to LifeMed, according to nan statement.

“Meanwhile, an knowledgeable expedition guideline connected nan precocious upland had diverted important clip to assistance and supply attraction to nan 2 non-ambulatory climbers astatine nan Football Field (19,600 feet),” parkland officials wrote. “However, erstwhile nan clouds moved backmost successful precocious Tuesday night, nan guideline was forced to return to nan 17,200-foot precocious campy for his ain information and for nan information of his team.”

Crews person been waiting for different break successful nan upwind Wednesday to make different effort astatine reaching nan stranded climbers.

Ollig said Wednesday day that specifications were still coming successful astir really some groups of climbers ended up successful distress, arsenic good arsenic what information nan stranded climbers were successful erstwhile nan guideline near them Tuesday.

He besides said that high-altitude formation issues further hampered Tuesday’s rescue efforts for nan summiters, noting that nan chopper was fitted pinch a short-haul rescue handbasket erstwhile it tried to scope nan “Football Field.”

“Due to weight restrictions, we can’t do a short haul astatine that precocious of an elevation pinch either a spotter aliases an attendant ranger connected nan extremity of nan line,” he said. “So nan patients request to beryllium either ambulatory aliases person assistance connected nan ground.”

This is simply a processing story. Check backmost for updates.