Two climbers were attempting to climb the “escalator” route on Mount Johnson, a “steep and technical section of climbing on the southeast side of the peak” that includes a “mix of steep rock, ice and snow,” the park said in a statement.
The fall was seen by another team of climbers also attempting the route and contacted the Alaska Regional Communications Center around 10:45 p.m., the park said.
They then descended to the victims and confirmed that one of the climbers was killed in the fall and the other climber suffered “serious traumatic injuries”.
“Respondents dug a cave in the snow and treated the surviving climber’s injuries throughout the night,” the report said.
The following morning, the pilot of the Denali High Mountain Rescue helicopter and two mountaineer rangers responded to the incident. One of them was lowered to a group of climbers to help transfer the injured patient to a flatter glacier, from where he was taken to a helicopter.
The injured mountaineer was taken to Talkeetna State Airport by LifeMed air ambulance to receive the necessary medical treatment, according to the park.
Helicopters and park rangers returned to the accident site that morning in hopes of recovering the dead climber’s body, but worsening weather forced them to turn back.
“Park rangers will return to the incident site when weather conditions permit,” the park said.
The identity of the deceased climber is not being released until the family is informed of the incident.
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