Three Climbers Rescued From High On Mt. McKinley

Denali National Park & Preserve (AK)
Three Climbers Rescued From High On Mt. McKinley

Three separate climbers, each of whom was suffering from severe altitude-related illness, were rescued using helicopter short-haul technique from approximately 19,000 feet on Mt. McKinley on Monday night. Ranger Tucker Chenoweth and four patrol volunteers were descending from a summit of Mt. McKinley on Monday evening when they encountered an ataxic solo climber at 19,300 feet. As the patrol approached, 27-year-old Serbian climber Zeljko Dulic was staggering and then collapsed due to altitude-related illness. The NPS patrol attempted to walk the climber down, but he was too ill to safely descend. At the time, the park's A-Star B3 helicopter was at the Kahiltna Basecamp, having just completed flights related to a resource management project. After a high altitude reconnaissance flight, pilot Andy Hermansky flew to the sick climber and Chenoweth secured him to the end of the short-haul rope using a `screamer suit' or fabric harness, for the flight to the 14,200-foot camp. While this rescue was in progress, a second individual, 22-year-old Sho Tamagawa of Japan, approached the NPS patrol and similarly collapsed due to altitude sickness. Tamagawa, who was travelling solo, was also non-ambulatory. The A-Star B3 helicopter returned to 19,300 feet and short-hauled him to the 14,200-foot camp using the screamer suit. Once at the camp, the helicopter landed and internally loaded the two patients for evacuation to the Kahiltna Basecamp at 7,200 feet. Meanwhile, Chenoweth and his patrol members had continued their descent, only to encounter a third non-ambulatory, semi-conscious climber at 18,700 feet. Masaaki Kobayasi, 20, also from Japan, was a member of the same original expedition as Tamagawa, though was travelling solo when found. After a rapid medical assessment, it was again determined that a helicopter rescue was necessary. Hermansky returned to 18,700 feet for the third rescue at about 10:40 p.m., then short-hauled the patient to 14,200 feet, internally loaded him, and then flew him to the Kahiltna Basecamp. Chenoweth's cold and tired patrol descended to the 17,200-foot camp without further incident. Two of the three patients were transported to an area hospital via LifeMed air ambulance. Dulic refused further medical treatment and was released from care at Basecamp. As of Tuesday, 556 climbers were attempting Mt. McKinley. A total of 251 climbers had completed their ascents, 54% of whom reached the summit. Due to warming temperatures and some modest snowfall, the climbing conditions at high elevations have improved since four climbers died as a result of falls in mid- to late May.