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Subscribe to RSSAuthorities coordinating a search effort by 400 people atop Mt. McKinley believe an avalanche most likely claimed the lives of four adult hikers. NBC's Veronica de la Cruz reports.
Four Japanese climbers, two men and two women, are presumed dead after an avalanche swept down Mt. McKinley in Alaska's Denali National Park, the National Park Service said Saturday. One man survived after climbing out of a crevasse he had been thrown into.
The five-person team was roped together when the slide hit at 2 a.m. Thursday on the mountain's West Buttress, in an area known as Motorcycle Hill, the park service said in a statement.
"The five were travelling as one rope team, although the rope broke during the avalanche," the service stated.
Some 400 people were searching the area Saturday, but snow and wind have impeded the effort on North America's tallest mountain.
Hitoshi Ogi, 69, survived with minor injuries, making his way down from the avalanche at 11,000 feet to a base camp at 7,200 feet by 4 p.m. on Thursday.
A helicopter crew deployed that day failed to find any sign of the others, the service said.
Those presumed dead are 64-year-old Yoshiaki Kato; 50-year-old Masako Suda; 56-year-old Michiko Suzuki; and 63-year-old Tamao Suzuki.
Becky Bohrer / AP
Mt. McKinley, where 4 climbers were presumed dead, is North America's tallest mountain.
All are from Miyagi Prefecture -- the same area devastated by the 2011 quake and tsunami -- and were descending the mountain when the avalanche hit.
If confirmed, the deaths would be the worst accident on McKinley since 1992, when four Canadian climbers died.
On May 23, a Finnish man died after falling 2,000 feet while trying to ski down a steep McKinley chute known as the "Orient Express".
The first death of the 2012 McKinley climbing season was on May 18, when a German climber died in a 1,100 foot fall. He was trying to retrieve a backpack that was sliding downhill when he lost his footing and fell.
The climbing season in Denali generally runs from late April until early July. Usually 1,200 to 1,300 people attempt McKinley each year.
"Substantial snowfall and windy conditions in recent weeks have kept most climbers from reaching the top," the service said Saturday. "As of June 16, there are 395 mountaineers attempting routes on Mt. McKinley, the majority on the West Buttress route. Out of the 630 climbers that have already returned from expeditions this season, 234 reported reaching the summit, equating to a 37 percent summit rate."
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If your going to climb or ski down a huge mountain of heavy snow, hard to breath at times, damn cold, and with high winds that can throw you around like a t shirt, and hidden rock, then make sure you make up a will before you go.
I look at the size of the mountain, then I look at the dots that are people.
Now that just about sums it all up you think?
It's much better to know what the wind direction is after a storm. It's not allways going to be given the turbulence of tyhe terrain but, I think everyone knows what a snow drift looks like. The best place to get experience is by either living there or working as ski patrol. Most of the weather happens as the sun sets during the winter months. Inexperieced climbers, granted I am inexperienced and I have the trails to prove it. I don't really think I need to say more.
Shame on the majority of posters here.
Five people took a risk, and four of them DIED as a result of that risk. I am sure that they knew of the risk, and I am sure that they were well prepared and equipped to face the challange before them. They were on their way DOWN when the avalanche occurred.
If you, as a poster, drive a car, you risk death each and every time that you do. If you ride in a car with someone else, that same risk applies.
Airplanes are supposed to be even safer than driving cars, but riding on an airplane still carries an inherant risk. There is a reason I don't fly planes - I'm not a pilot. I do not have the necessary skills to take on that task without unusual risk. For the same reason, I won't be climbing Mt. McKinley or anything larger than a hill I can manage anytime soon. With the proper skills, I could do either. Somehow, the sport of mountaineering is at fault in these comments, the availability of rescue teams in general and especially where their paycheck comes from, and the lives of these fit, active individuals are deemed worthless as a result. Life itself is a risk, or series of risks, and we do not grow without facing challenges and situations that involve risk. If you want to bash mountaineering, fine. If volunteer or paid rescue groups bothers you so much, why don't you send your complaint to them, or your local congressman? Do so without disgracing the lives of those who died. To the family and those that knew them, my deepest condolances.
ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz! What! Did someone say something? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz!
Wow. I'll just assume that you took my comment personally, yoomama. Hopefully nothing I said irritated your conscience or sense of integrity.
slipin' and a slidin' down the slope...
hey, most of the people mentioned in this news article are foreigners. Aren't there many Americanos climbin' Mt K or do they just have a better safety, track record on that mtn?
Anyone who wants to put their own life in danger for sport should have to put a substantial deposit down in case they need to be rescued. No reason why the public should have to foot the bill because someone wants to have an adventure.
The public is way ahead from all the tourism and money generated off these sports. Paying for the odd rescue is just par for the course.
You Pay for it! You rescue them! Or shut up! Talk is cheap!
Dam strait put up your Visa or post a bond, if you want the body’s back immediately
its 60K and 20K in the spring! I don’t want to pay for guys that want to climb
cliffs and mountains, if all I want to do is walk on a path.. It’s BS!
Alaska is plenty well funded from natural resources. Fish, Timber, Oil, Tourism. Don't worry about keeping the Coast Guard or First Responders funded. It's not your concern what agency of government is out there helping civilians. Alaska and North Dakota aren't experiencing a recession as the rest of US, haven't you read the recent articles? The people employed as first responders aren't your run of the mill ivory tower desk jockey either, they are physically fit and mentally honed for such tasks. Scraping dead bodies off of a blowing mountainside and home for dinner on time, kind of people. Tough as nails. Obviously you've never lived there, you've never mountain biked downhill, you've never competed in climbing, you've no experience what so ever concerning an Alaska lifestyle and as such [edit]
RIP, fallen hikers. Thanks, First Responders, for being such 'iron men'. Thanks, Alaska, for being bigger than the lower-48's poverty stricken mentality.
Condolences to the loved ones of the victims. Cashing in your chips while doing what you love, isnt that bad a way to go.
Some people will do stupid things for "BRAGGING RIGHTS". No tears here! Every year you hear of dumb climbers dying on Mt. McKinley. The only ones I feel for, are the Rescue Workers risking their lives to save these Worthless Idiots, or bringing their bodies back.. Should just have a sign saying "ONLY MORONS ALLOWED PAST THIS POINT, NOBODY WILL SAVE YOU, ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK"........End of Story
The mountain is officially called Denali - NOT mount McKinley. It hasn't officially been called McKinley for DECADES! I wish reporters would get their facts straight!
Nothing whatsoever should be spent trying to rescue these idiot thrill seekers. They are taking a risk and if it does not work out they knew going in that it might turn out that way. This has nothing to do with the coast guard rescuing fishermen who are trying to earn a living and who bring back fish that we all buy in the supermarket.
It also has nothing to do with couch potatos who are simply living out their lives as best they can. Also, being physically active is no guarantee of a long life. You might still die of cancer when you are 45. And a couch potato might outlive you by 40 years.
They played they payed
I was just kind of wondering.. i understand it's a shame these people died and all, but can we at least get a bulk rate on sending there trash back with them?.. just a thought....
What I think about is that German climber as his backpack was slipping.. "Chit!....grab-grab-AAAAAAAAAAAHH"
That would've sucked.
Wow they were kind of old to be trying this.
Do we really care? we have tens of hundreds die here in the U.S. everyday
Weird. To survive an earthquake and a tsunami only get killed in an avalanche.....start writing the script for the next Final Destination film. If I were that surviving climber, I'd watch my step.
Is there any other animal that risks life and limb just for the excitement?
Does that mean humainity is insane?
Stupid times five equals dead times four with one remainder. Guess the survivor will be featured in the next 'Final Destination' flick.
I think that it is great that one of the survivors was able to be rescued but these things happen and the rescue efforts are costly, how ever, he was probably prepared for an event such as this
So according to a lot of the posters here, if anyone does anything that entails the slightest risk outside the norm, they should be allowed to die without any attempt to save them. People ski all over this country every year, and some of them break their legs, or injure their spines, or simply die colliding with a rock, or a tree, or another skier. According to the taunting, judgmental fools posting their idiocy here, they should all be left to rot where they fall, because it costs money to rescue them and treat them for injuries. What lovely people you are, and I only hope you find yourselves in a similar situation, solely of your own volition, and are treated exactly the way you wish others to be treated. Karma always finds a way to deal with you finger-wagging couch potatoes and morons.
I think that if climbing mountains is your thing, then go for it.
I also think that if you get stuck up there, you should be on your own.
Why should others have to go up there to retrieve you?
You knew what you were getting into.
The climbers should be presumed stupid. It is one thing to lay around and not get out and experience adventure. It's a whole other thing to resist the temptation to climb a mountain packed with spring snow fall in avalanche conditions. Hello! There are so many other things to do besides take on mother nature armed with nothing more than a sense of adventure. Anybody with a lick of sense knows not to so much as hike below spring snow pack this time of year. These people were ignorant or had a death wish. I live in the mountains and I know by hearing the avalanche reports that there exists a danger this time of year. Perhaps nobody told them of that danger.
R.I.P. to those who did not make it. I do have to wonder why folks in their 60's would be climbing Mt McKinley at 2am?? This is just asking for trouble, and, unfortunately, they got it.
Reading many of the comments on here makes me sad. Mainly for those who go out of their way to tear each other down. I can't see why these climbers are called selfish... they didn't make anyone go with them... they don't owe their loved ones so much that they should have stayed home... they are on the hook as far as the rescue cost. By climbing, they are createing economic activity... the people on the rescue teams are not drafted to go do this.. it is their job or they volunteer, (and I salute them all, similar to highway patrol, firemen, emts, etc...) I am not one that would climb a mountain, at least I don't feel that call right now, but I do understand the call, the want, the challenge. So I respect their choice and say a silent goodbye to those who were lost, as should be done when anyone passes from life.
What this story doesn't tell is that a Park Ranger trying to reach and help the climbers fell to his death 3,700 feet. All this climbing needs to be stopped and right now.
I'm not sure who said it (Will Rogers ?) but I do believe this quote: Life without risks is no life at all! "