Climbers Rescued on Alaskan Mountain
Denali's search and rescue teams have been busy over the past few weeks
Search and rescue specialists with Denali National Park and Preserve conducted a rescue on Peak 11,300 on the West Fork of the Ruth Glacier on May 21. The climbers were rescued on the same weekend that another climber who fell over 300 metres was rescued on Denali.
A press release from Denali Park said that on Saturday evening, Alaska Regional Communications Center received an InReach notification that two climbers with minor injuries were stranded due to lost gear and damaged ropes on the west face of Peak 11,300. Poor weather conditions in the mountains prevented a rescue on Saturday night.
The National Park Service high-altitude helicopter launched at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday morning with two mountaineering rangers to assess the site and rescue operations. The rangers were able to complete a successful short-haul rescue operation using a 75-metre line suspended from the helicopter with a ranger attached.
The ranger was then able to safely rescue both climbers from the steep technical face and bring them to staging site for assessment. The two climbers were then flown back to Talkeetna.
