One mountain climber dead, another injured after thousand-foot fall

One personification is dormant and different is earnestly injured aft nan brace fell astir 1,000 feet while climbing a upland successful Alaska. 

The unnamed climbers were scaling Mt. Johnson, an 8,400-foot highest successful Denali National Park, nan National Park Service said successful a news release. The climbers were ascending a portion of nan upland known arsenic "The Escalator," which is connected nan mountain's southeast face. The way requires navigating a operation of "steep rock, crystal and snow" for astir 5,000 feet, nan NPS said. 

Another climbing statement connected nan way saw nan brace fall, nan NPS said. The 2nd group alerted nan Alaska Regional Communication Center to nan incident astatine astir 10:45 p.m. connected Thursday night. The 2nd group past descended to nan mishap victims. 

The 2nd group confirmed that 1 personification had died successful nan fall. The 2nd had sustained "serious traumatic injuries." The 2nd group dug a snowfall cave and attended to that climber's injuries passim nan nighttime until Denali National Park's high-altitude rescue chopper aviator and 2 mountaineering rangers were launched Friday morning. 

The "Escalator" way connected Mt. Johnson, Denali National Park and Preserve.  The X indicates nan approximate location of nan rescue of nan surviving climbing partner. NPS Photo / J. Kayes

A rescue cognition ensued, pinch a ranger taken to nan climbers. The ranger and injured climber were brought to a level glacier staging area and loaded onto nan helicopter. The injured climber was transferred to an aerial ambulance and taken for further care. The NPS did not specify nan climber's injuries, wherever they were treated, aliases what their existent information was.

Officials attempted to retrieve nan assemblage of nan dormant climber connected Friday, but were stalled by "deteriorating upwind conditions." Another effort will beryllium made "when upwind conditions allow," nan NPS said. 

The deceased climber will beryllium identified erstwhile family members are notified, nan NPS said. 

In:
• Denali
• Alaska