3 climbers who fell near treacherous pass on Alaska’s Mount McKinley are dead, 1 rescued

Three climbers have died on Alaska’s Mount McKinley after falling near a difficult pass on North America’s highest peak, a Latvian mountaineering group said Friday. A fourth climber was rescued.

The group said the four were members of a mountaineering expedition in Latvia. The National Park Service said Wednesday they were part of a seven-person team that crossed a route known for its exposed sections where numerous injuries and deaths have occurred in the years they fell.

The rescued climber was taken off the mountain Thursday afternoon by Denali National Park and Preserve search and rescue personnel, the park service said Friday.

The crash occurred near the Denali Pass, which is approximately 18,200 feet (5,550 meters). McKinley stands at an elevation of approximately 20,310 feet (6,190 meters). Three other people in the climbing group tended to the falls before returning to camp, the park service said.

The group was on the West Buttress route, the most popular route to the summit. It is known for its crevasses, steep ice and exposed ridges.

More than 130 people have died on the mountain in the park’s history.
Over the years, numerous climbing injuries and deaths, mostly from unprotected falls, have occurred in the pass between an area known as high camp at about 17,200 feet (5,240 meters) and Denali Pass, according to the park. Most deaths on the pass occurred while climbers were descending. The park said park rangers and mountain guides place and maintain snow stakes, which are used to help build anchors for extra protection on areas such as steep slopes between the high camp and Denali Pass.

Only about 1,000 to 1,200 climbers attempt to summit Mount McKinley each year, mostly in May and June. The journey usually takes about 17 days, and last year less than half of them made it to the top, according to park statistics.

Park statistics show that last year, there were two deaths on the mountain, both skiers, while rangers evacuated 16 people.

Park service spokesman Scott Carr said there were 516 climbers on the mountain as of Thursday.

Two other climbers who were not in the falling group were evacuated from the mountain by helicopter Wednesday, according to the park service.