Solo climber dies in fall on Denali

The precocious information of nan West Buttress Route of Denali, showing nan approximate location of nan incident. The South Summit of Denali is successful nan precocious right. (NPS Photo)

A climber was recovered dormant Monday connected Denali, aft a family personnel reported not proceeding from them for days, according to a statement from nan National Park Service. 

The parkland said nan climber was connected a solo travel and had been regularly checking successful pinch family done a outer device. Rangers operating nan precocious upland later recovered nan climber’s shelter empty. They wished nan climber apt fell past week. 

Park spokesperson Paul Ollig said conditions successful nan area were highly icy and steep.

“We don’t really person immoderate accusation to stock connected what whitethorn person caused nan fall, aliases whether it occurred while nan climber was ascending aliases descending,” Ollig said. “This traverse tin beryllium tricky.”

The park’s connection says accounts from different climbers and outer instrumentality information helped pass wherever things whitethorn person gone incorrect for nan soloist.

A climbing squad told rangers that they saw nan soloist traversing from a plateau astatine 17,200 feet to Denali Pass astatine 18,200 feet past Wednesday.

The parkland said rangers besides pulled information from nan climber’s outer device, which indicated it hadn’t changed location from 17,000 feet since Thursday, “suggesting a autumn from nan Denali Pass traverse took spot connected that day.” 

A NPS mountaineering patrol squad located and confirmed nan climber dormant Monday, nan connection said. The parkland said nan assemblage will beryllium recovered erstwhile upwind conditions allow. The climber has not yet been publically identified. 

The National Park Service powerfully recommends against navigating Denali alone. Ollig said nan parkland encourages climbers to recreation successful groups of 5 aliases six. He said a soloist’s only recourse successful a autumn is to “self arrest” pinch an crystal axe.

“Because nan precocious upland terrain is notoriously icy and difficult to summation purchase, aliases aforesaid apprehension that makes those conditions peculiarly challenging for a solo climber,” he said.

At slightest 14 climbers including nan soloist person fallen to their decease on this conception of Denali’s celebrated West Buttress route. It’s among nan peak’s astir climbed routes.

This is besides nan 2nd climber fatality successful nan parkland this season. A well-known New York wood ranger died successful an crystal climbing mishap past month.