Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

Two Missing Climbers on Mt. Foraker, Denali NP 10-Jun-2006 At 5:22:29 PM The Keeper

Message

I'm back from my field trip and have caught up with latest developments. Searchers have confirmed tracks of the two climbers at 16,400 ft - with one source saying this is beyond the avalanche zone and another saying that even the topping out is grim. It may be that the pack simply blew off the top in a error after not being properly secured. If there is nothing more below then they still can probably cope with what is leftover and if in a snow bivie but the clock is ticking relentlessly and they may have been out of food and water for some time. The Lama high altitude helicopter is back at the scene and they are waiting for cloud cover to clear to get in to check out the top 1000 ft of the climb . Two military Chinooks were unable to get off because of weather earlier. As George Lowe, noted American alpinist mentioned - the 14,000 footers in the lower 48 are a walk in the park, stiff ones, but nothing like the peaks in the Alaska Range (and for that matter the St. Elias Mts.) - although this is a severely technical and challenging climb of the type these two are known for - many are not - the cusp of their teeth is their high, dynamic, local environment - extremely relentless and unforgiving of even the most minor mistakes. Small mistakes in these situations can be amplified many times over. These two have tungsten grade spirits and amazing talent but they will have been tested to the max if they come out of it. And for that we all pray they will.
Hopefully the wind can move the clouds and they can get in to find them whereever they are bunkered down. Hopefully there will be better news tomorrow - the 10th here, up over.