Climber plunges 1,000 feet from Alaska mountain ridge — and survives, rangers say
A 24-year-old climber fell 1,000 feet from an Alaska mountain ridge — and survived, park officials said.
Tatsuto Hatanaka, from Setagaya-ku, Japan, was hiking Denali’s West Buttress in Denali National Park and Preserve with a partner on May 19, according to the National Park Service.
His partner watched him plunge from a ridge at about 16,200 feet but couldn’t see where he landed, rangers said. He fell at about 11 p.m.
Rangers spotted Hatanaka from a helicopter at about 2 a.m. on Saturday, May 20, but couldn’t reach him because of cloudy weather, rangers said.
Mountaineering rangers then set out on the mountain to look for him on foot. They spotted Hatanaka at about 15,100 feet, on the upper Peters Glacier.
He had fallen over a 1,000 feet.
Rescuers reached Hatanaka, who had minor injuries, rangers said. He was airlifted to a hospital.
Denali has the highest mountain peak in North America at 20,310 feet. The West Buttress is a climbing route to reach the top of Denali.
This route involves “extensive and highly crevassed glacier travel as well as snow and ice climbing to about 40 degrees in steepness.”
This story was originally published May 23, 2023 at 9:09 AM with the headline "Climber plunges 1,000 feet from Alaska mountain ridge — and survives, rangers say."
