US

One Climber Dead, Another Seriously Injured After 1,000-Foot Fall Off Alaska’s Mount Johnson

Two climbers fell 1,000 feet from Mt. Johnson in Alaska's Denali National Park. [YouTube/Screenshot/DenaliNPS]

[YouTube/Screenshot/DenaliNPS]

Dana Abizaid Contributor
Font Size:

One mountain climber was killed and another was seriously injured Thursday night after plummeting an estimated 1,000 feet from Mt. Johnson’s 8,400-foot peak in Alaska’s Denali National Park, the National Park Service (NPS) said.

Due to adverse weather conditions, rescue teams were not able to reach the body of Robbi Mecus, 52, until the weather cleared Saturday morning, according to a statement by the NPS. The surviving climber — a 30-year-old California woman — was rescued and transporting by air ambulance to an Anchorage hospital Friday morning, the NPS stated.

The incident occurred on a portion of Mt. Johnson known as “the Escalator.” The two women were roped while climbing up terrain covered in a mix of rock, ice, and snow, the NPS said. (RELATED: Air France Pilot Plunges 1000 Feet To His Death In Hiking Accident)

Another group of climbers witnessed the fall, notified park rangers and then climbed down to help the women, according to the NPS. The climbers reportedly confirmed Mecus was killed in the fall and gave first aid to the surviving climber. They tried to keep her warm until morning by digging a snow cave and attending “to the surviving climber’s injuries throughout the night,” the NPS stated.

Denali National Park Superintendent Brooke Merrell said, “We are grateful for the rescue efforts of Denali mountaineering rangers and the two good Samaritans on Mt. Johnson who helped save a fellow climber’s life. We extend our thoughts and condolences to the friends and family of Robbi Mecus.”

Mecus was a veteran New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ranger, the New York Times reported.

The department’s interim commissioner, Sean Mahar, said in a statement that Mecus “demonstrated an unparalleled passion for protecting the environment and New Yorkers” and “exemplified the Forest Rangers’ high standard of professional excellence,” according to the New York Times.