rotorboy
30th May 2005, 02:06
A good job by the Denali Natinal park Rescue Rangers and the Lama!
Canadian Press
Saturday, May 28, 2005
HAINES JUNCTION, Yukon -- Three British Columbia climbers were rescued by helicopter on Saturday after they were trapped for three days in bad weather on Canada's highest peak. The three men were plucked from Mt. Logan between midnight and 1:30 a.m.
High winds hampered the rescue effort Friday night, said Rhonda Markel, an official with Parks Canada.
"The weather was really poor and that's why it took so long. The helicopters had to try and take different routes to get there."
Markel said there were reports of frigid winds of up to 140 kilometres an hour.
The situation looked grave Friday night as the climbers were exhausted from climbing the mountain for several days and were stranded in temperatures that dipped as low as -30 C.
Three helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft from Canadian and U.S. agencies were involved in the rescue effort. A total of 24 people were involved.
Parks Canada co-ordinated rescue efforts with Denali National Park in the United States and the Alaska Air National Guard.
"The climbers were shortlined off the mountain. That's a line hanging down off the helicopter and they were in a harness attached to the line and they were taken off the mountain to a staging area," said Markel.
The three experienced climbers, themselves are part of a search-rescue team in North Vancouver B.C., were trapped at the 5,500-metre level of the mountain, about 500 metres from the summit.
The three men were flown to a hospital in Anchorage, Alaska where they were treated for frostbite.
Markel said they were in "fair condition."
One of the climbers, Erik Bjarnason, suffered the worst case of frostbite on his hands.
He said the trio lost some of their gear when their tent blew away in the violent storm.
"I could only grab so much stuff out of the tent before it went over the cliff. And one of the things I failed to grab was my overmitts so I had my hands exposed for most of the time," he said, adding he was without the gloves for three days.
"It was just one of those things you knew was going to get ugly," he said.
"We had the tent tied in with ice screws and you could hear the fabric start to rip and once the tent was gone, I thought we were gone."
Climber Alex Snigurowicz said once their tent was shredded, he started to build a snow cave.
"We just huddled together in a snow cave and that helped keep ourselves warm and if you can't stay warm, you're gonna die," he said.
Markel credited the climbers' preparedness for saving their lives.
"They were experienced climbers but there are risks and hazards out there," she said.
"We all had radios between us so we could notify them of the problem and tell them what to do and that's what got the ball rolling," said Snigurowicz.
Friday afternoon, two other climbers reached the trapped climbers and provided them with a tent until they were rescued.
Park officials said those climbers were crucial to the success of the rescue. They were to make their descent on Saturday.
Mt. Logan is located in Klaune National Park, west of Whitehorse.:ok:
Canadian Press
Saturday, May 28, 2005
HAINES JUNCTION, Yukon -- Three British Columbia climbers were rescued by helicopter on Saturday after they were trapped for three days in bad weather on Canada's highest peak. The three men were plucked from Mt. Logan between midnight and 1:30 a.m.
High winds hampered the rescue effort Friday night, said Rhonda Markel, an official with Parks Canada.
"The weather was really poor and that's why it took so long. The helicopters had to try and take different routes to get there."
Markel said there were reports of frigid winds of up to 140 kilometres an hour.
The situation looked grave Friday night as the climbers were exhausted from climbing the mountain for several days and were stranded in temperatures that dipped as low as -30 C.
Three helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft from Canadian and U.S. agencies were involved in the rescue effort. A total of 24 people were involved.
Parks Canada co-ordinated rescue efforts with Denali National Park in the United States and the Alaska Air National Guard.
"The climbers were shortlined off the mountain. That's a line hanging down off the helicopter and they were in a harness attached to the line and they were taken off the mountain to a staging area," said Markel.
The three experienced climbers, themselves are part of a search-rescue team in North Vancouver B.C., were trapped at the 5,500-metre level of the mountain, about 500 metres from the summit.
The three men were flown to a hospital in Anchorage, Alaska where they were treated for frostbite.
Markel said they were in "fair condition."
One of the climbers, Erik Bjarnason, suffered the worst case of frostbite on his hands.
He said the trio lost some of their gear when their tent blew away in the violent storm.
"I could only grab so much stuff out of the tent before it went over the cliff. And one of the things I failed to grab was my overmitts so I had my hands exposed for most of the time," he said, adding he was without the gloves for three days.
"It was just one of those things you knew was going to get ugly," he said.
"We had the tent tied in with ice screws and you could hear the fabric start to rip and once the tent was gone, I thought we were gone."
Climber Alex Snigurowicz said once their tent was shredded, he started to build a snow cave.
"We just huddled together in a snow cave and that helped keep ourselves warm and if you can't stay warm, you're gonna die," he said.
Markel credited the climbers' preparedness for saving their lives.
"They were experienced climbers but there are risks and hazards out there," she said.
"We all had radios between us so we could notify them of the problem and tell them what to do and that's what got the ball rolling," said Snigurowicz.
Friday afternoon, two other climbers reached the trapped climbers and provided them with a tent until they were rescued.
Park officials said those climbers were crucial to the success of the rescue. They were to make their descent on Saturday.
Mt. Logan is located in Klaune National Park, west of Whitehorse.:ok: