Rangers Rescue Three Climbers Over the Weekend

Over the weekend, the National Park Service reported two successful search-and-rescue operations in the Alaska Range.

At around 2:00 am on Saturday, mountaineering rangers received word of a climber who had fallen from a ridge along Denali’s West Buttress Route at about 16,000 feet of elevation.  The climber, 24-year-old Tatsuo Hatanaka was climbing with a partner when he fell late Friday evening.  The partner was not able to see where Hatanaka’s fall ended.

Using a helicopter, rangers were able to see where Hatanaka had come to rest, but cloudy weather prevented the helicopter from approaching him. Coordination between the Park Service’s contracted high-altitude helicopter, a ground search and rescue party, and a military C-130 aircraft resulted in Hatanaka being rescued.  He was later transported by LifeMed to a hospital for treatment.

On Saturday evening, two climbers became stranded on a mountain known as Peak 11,300. The pair had suffered minor injuries, and some of their equipment was lost or damaged, making it impossible for them to descend on their own.  On Sunday morning, rangers aboard the high-altitude helicopter were able conduct a short-haul rescue of the stranded climbers.