Colorado resident Mason Stansfield (28) was ski touring with a partner in Denali National Park 05/03/2021 when he fell into an obscured glacial crevasse. Mountaineering Rangers responded to a communication from an InReach device at apx. 3:30 PM Monday. Stansfield and a partner were flown to the Edlridge Glarier on the Saturday prior for a 10 day, ski-based, personal exploratory mission of the area.
The Anchorage Daily News quotes park spokeswoman Maureen Gualtieri, “It was my understanding that the winter snow cover had hidden that (crevasse). There was another one in the vicinity that was more obvious that they were skirting… when this occurred.” The partner was unable to see or communicate with Stansfield after the fall. Rangers found Stansfield dead approximately 100 feet into the crevasse and were able to recover and transport his body and the uninjured partner to Talkeetna, AK that evening.
Stansfield was employed as a professional guide over the last six years. Based in Ouray Colorado, he was a passionate outdoors man who enjoyed motorcycling, sailing with his father, snowmachining, climbing, and skiing. Owner of San Juan Mountain Guides (Colorado), Nate Disser states that while young, Stansfield had demonstrated himself to be a “talented, reliable, well rounded, and well respected tour guide.”
News of his tragic passing stunned the tight-knit guide community in Ouray who remember Stansfield as a friend to everyone. Our condolences are with his family and friends as they grieve the untimely loss of this remarkable soul.
Featured image by Bryan Baetsle