Climber who fell from high ridge on Denali rescued with minor injuries

National Park Service rangers on Saturday rescued a climber who fell more than 1,000 feet from a high ridge in Denali National Park and Preserve.

A mountaineering ranger evacuated 24-year-old Japanese climber Tatsuto Hatanaka from a point at 15,100 feet in elevation on Denali, park officials said Saturday.

Hatanaka suffered minor injuries and was transferred by helicopter to a hospital, officials said.

He was with a partner on Friday on the West Buttress climbing route just above the fixed line at 16,200 feet.

The climber’s partner told rangers early Saturday morning the fall occurred Friday around 11 p.m., the agency said. The partner saw the fall but couldn’t see where Hatanaka came to rest.

Rangers began an aerial and ground search, but cloudy weather prevented a helicopter from accessing the climber’s location, officials said. The ground search was based at Denali Base Camp, at 14,000 feet.

The incident comes just over a week after two climbers who went missing at the park were presumed dead.