The bodies of four deceased climbers have been recovered from the slopes of Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park & Preserve.
The four individuals came from two separate accidents. On May 28th, Latvian climbers Inese Pučeka, Vija Olte, and Renārs Kunigs-Salaks were park of a seven-member climbing team involved in a fall near Denali Pass, occurring at approximately 18,200 feet. Weather terrain, and safety conditions forced rangers to wait until June 3rd to recover their bodies.
Also on June 3rd, the body of Logan McKenna, a 44-year-old from Hyde Park, Utah, was recovered. He suffered a medical emergency while descending the West Buttress route at approximately 18,600 feet on May 31st, just after midnight. National Park Service responders completed a helicopter recovery operation with assistance from climbing guides on the evening of June 3rd.
Operational planning and access to the sites was influenced and ultimately determined by weather, terrain, and mountain conditions. No further information is available at this time.
Mt. McKinley, traditionally known as Denali, is the tallest peak in North America, reaching up to 20,310 feet. Because of the relatively low surrounding terrain, McKinley’s base-to-peak vertical rise is about 18,000 feet. It’s also one of the deadliest mountains in the United States, with around 96 individuals dying on the mountain between 1903 and 2006.
