Two fall, one dies in Ruth Gorge climbing accident

A two-person team fell approximately 1,000 feet while climbing Mt. Johnson, an 8,400-foot peak located in Denali National Park and Preserve’s Ruth Gorge, on the night of Thursday, April 25. One of the climbers died in the fall, while the other sustained serious traumatic injuries.

The roped climbers were ascending a route on Mt. Johnson known as “the Escalator,” a steep and technical alpine climb on the peak’s southeast face, the National Park Service said. The approximately 5,000-foot route involves navigating a mix of steep rock, ice, and snow.

Update: The person who died was Robbi Mecus. According to Emily Russell of NCPR public broadcasting, “She was beloved in the Adirondacks and has been a role model in the queer and outdoor community here [in the Adirondacks.] Public broadcasting reports, “Mecus was a leader among forest rangers in the Adirondacks, serving as a ranger since 1999. She was part of hundreds of searches and rescues over her career…”

The fall was witnessed by another climbing party on the route, who alerted the Alaska Regional Communication Center at approximately 10:45 p.m. The reporting party then descended to the accident victims and confirmed one climber had died in the fall. The responders dug a snow cave and attended to the surviving climber’s injuries throughout the night.

At 7 a.m. Friday morning, the park’s high altitude rescue helicopter pilot and two mountaineering rangers launched from Talkeetna. After an initial reconnaissance flight of the accident zone, a mountaineering ranger was short-hauled via long line to the awaiting climbers.

Together, the ranger and injured patient were short-hauled out to a flat glacier staging area, and then loaded into the helicopter for the flight to Talkeetna. The patient was transferred to a LifeMed air ambulance at the Talkeetna State Airport for further care.

Later that morning, the park helicopter and two rangers returned to the accident site to recover the body of the deceased climber, however they were turned back due to deteriorating weather and increasing cloud cover. Park rangers will return to the site when weather conditions allow.

The identity of the deceased climber is being withheld until family members are notified.