The climbing season has begun on Mt. McKinley, though unsettled weather meant a slow start. In the most recent update from the National Park Service (NPS), 936 climbers have registered to climb the peak, with 230 currently on the mountain and 17 climbers already back home after early expeditions.
Expeditions started to fly in during the first week of May, but there’s limited information available on teams and goals so far.
Accidents
On May 19, a climber fell 15m and broke his ankle while leading a pitch near Mount Hunter’s North Buttress. With the help of a nearby climbing pair, the injured man’s team managed to lower him eight pitches down to the base of the route. There, they met up with NPS rangers and moved him to a safe location for helicopter evacuation.
Elsewhere, skier and climber Anna Demonte had been acclimatizing in preparation for a Fastest Known Time (FKT) ski attempt on McKinley. Demonte set the women’s ski FKT on Mont Blanc last year with a time of 7 hours and 29 minutes.
Unfortunately, while skiing with partner Jack Kuenzle at around 5,000m, Demonte fell in sloughing snow and tore her MCL. She managed to ski down to Base Camp, but her season and the FKT attempt are over.
Anna Demonte’s post details her accident. Photo: Anna Demonte
