Experienced climbers die on McKinley

DENALI — On a bight blue day, a 2,000-foot streak of white served as a reminder of the danger even the most experienced climbers face.

John Mislow, 39, and Andrew Swanson, 36, fell to their death Thursday attempting to climb Mount McKinley.

Both doctors and experienced climbers, Mislow was from Massachusetts and Andrews was from Minnesota. When they climbed here in 2000, the duo was awarded the Denali Pro Award commending them for the “highest standards in the sport for safety, self-sufficiency, and assisting fellow mountaineers,” said the National Parks Service. The award recognized them for helping other climbers in distress, assisting Park Service rangers with a patrol, and striking a balance between their own climbing objectives and potential risks.

They began this trip on May 30. Their planned route went up the West Rib to the summit, but they did not specify a decent route. On Thursday, another team observed them falling down the Messner Couloir from 16,500 feet to 14,500 feet.

A team of skiers were the first to get to the fallen climbers who were still roped together. The rangers at the 14,200-foot camp were notified and on the scene in 30 minutes. The climbers were pronounced dead shortly after the rangers arrived.

It is unclear what caused the two to fall or if they were on their way up or down the mountain, said Parks Service spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin. The Messner Couloir is a very difficult ski decent with a 40- to 50-degree slope, but neither climber had skis.

“We’re not sure exactly why they were at that point,” McLaughlin said. “They could have diverted off the West Rib. There is a chance they decided to go down there, but that is very uncommon.”

McLaughlin said the rangers were out on Friday trying to contact other groups of climbers who witnessed the event. It is possible, however, that no one else saw the fall and the rangers will never know exactly what happened.

“This just proves that it can happen to anyone,” McLaughlin said. “When we analyze accidents on the mountain, they run the gamut from climbers without much ability to very experienced climbers. We try to learn as much as we can and pass that information on.”

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com