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2 climbers stranded with hypothermia await rescue off Denali, North America’s tallest mountain
Two climbers were waiting to be rescued near the peak of Denali, a colossal mountain that towers over miles of vast tundra in southern Alaska, officials said Wednesday. Originally part of a three-person team that became stranded near the top of the mountain, the climbers put out a distress call more than 30 hours earlier suggesting they were hypothermic and unable to descend on their own, according to the National Park Service.
Weather conditions made attempts to rescue the climbers particularly treacherous this week, the park service said. Cloud cover posed dangers to aviation and ground search crews who were unable to reach the upper part of Denali between 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday, when park rangers received the climbers’ initial satellite call, and 9 a.m. on Wednesday, when the National Park Service said rescuers were “waiting for clouds and windy conditions to dissipate on the upper mountain.”
CBS News contacted the National Park Service for updates on the rescue mission Thursday morning but did not receive an immediate response.
Becky Bohrer/AP
Standing 20,310 feet at its tallest point, Denali is the centerpiece of a rural and massive namesake national park and holds the record for being the highest peak in North America. The sprawling national park and the mountain itself are some of southern Alaska’s main tourist draws, which together attract around 600,000 visitors every year. Many who travel to the national park never actually see Denali, though, because clouds in the region can be so thick that they completely obscure the mountain despite its size.
Denali park rangers communicated with the group of climbers for several hours after receiving the SOS through InReach, a portable device that uses satellite to send messages and has a GPS system that allows recipients to see its location. Although the group had told rangers at around 3:30 a.m. that they planned to climb around 700 feet down Denali to a plateau called the “Football Field,” they did not continue communicating from then on and their location higher up appeared to remain the same, according to the National Park Service.
A high-altitude helicopter and, later, a plane launched by the Alaska National Guard, searched the mountain and did locate two climbers while flying overhead on Tuesday. A climbing guide found the third near a lower elevation, at about 18,600 feet above ground, and along with a team of people helped that person descend another 1,400 feet or so to a camp where rescue crews were waiting. The National Park Service said that climber suffered severe frostbite and hypothermia.
Their helicopter finally retrieved that person at 10:15 p.m. Tuesday and transferred the climber to a LifeMed helicopter in Talkeetna, the nearest major town. The helicopter also evacuated two other climbers being treated for frostbite in a medical tent on the mountain.
Although the National Park Service said “an experienced expedition guide” was able to reach the two other climbers, who made it by the end of the day Tuesday to the Football Field in upper Denali, that guide had to return to a lower point later in the night as clouds moved back in “for his own safety and for the safety of his team.”
With its stark and unusually challenging landscape, Denali has become a popular climbing spot for ambitious mountaineers. The National Park Service said that Memorial Day weekend often marks the start of the busiest weeks of the year on the mountain, and about 500 people were attempting climbs as of Wednesday.
Around 15% of climbers reach the summit of the Denali, according to the park service, and some have died trying. Earlier this month, the Associated Press reported that a climber was found dead about 18,000 feet up the mountain while attempting a solo ascent.
A new Barbie has joined Mattel’s lineup of inclusive dolls. The first “Diwali doll” was announced by the toymaker on Friday, a few weeks shy of the Hindu holiday of Diwali, also known as the festival of lights.
The festival, which lasts for five days, is marked on Western calendars to begin on Nov. 1, but some celebrations start on Oct. 31.
The doll, created in collaboration with fashion designer Anita Dongre, features traditional elements including the lehenga skirt, floral print and golden shoes, according to Mattel’s website. The doll is available at major retailers for $40.
“The look is infused with beauty and symbolism to rejoice in victory of light over darkness with contemporary silhouettes,” the description reads for the Diwali doll.
Lalit Agarwal, country manager for Mattel India, said in a news release that through the Diwali doll, the brand is hoping to showcase “India’s vibrant cultural heritage on a global stage while continuing to celebrate the power and beauty of diversity.”
Earlier this year, Mattel announced the first-ever blind Barbie doll and a Black Barbie with Down syndrome.
In addition, to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8 and Barbie’s 65th birthday on March 9, the doll brand announced it was adding new dolls to its Role Models collection, based on real-life singers and actresses from around the world. They’re not for sale – a one-of-a-kind doll was made for each of the honored women.
The dolls are meant to introduce “girls to remarkable women’s stories to show them you can be anything,” according to Mattel.
Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves made his professional auto racing debut on Saturday at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“The Matrix” star, who qualified 31st out of 35 cars, ran as high as 21st before a single-car crash a little more than halfway through the 45-minute race briefly stopped him in his tracks.
Darron Cummings / AP
The 60-year-old spun into the grass without a collision on the exit of Turn 9 when he had about 21 minutes of racing left. He re-entered the course and continued driving, signaling he was uninjured.
Reeves finished 25th.
The actor is competing at Indianapolis in the Toyota GR Cup, a Toyota spec-racing series and a support series for this weekend’s Indy 8 Hour sports car event. He has a second race on Sunday.
Darron Cummings / AP
He is driving the No. 92 BRZRKR car, which is promoting his graphic novel “The Book of Elsewhere.” He is teammates with Cody Jones from “Dude Perfect.”
Reeves has previous racing experience as a former participant in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in the celebrity race. Reeves won the event in 2009.
A passenger successfully landed a small plane on Friday after the pilot had a medical emergency, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 90 was traveling from Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada to Monterey Regional Airport in California, with a pilot and one other person on board, the FAA said.
The pilot suffered an unspecified medical emergency while flying, the FAA said, forcing the passenger to take the controls and make an emergency landing at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California.
The Kern Fire Department told CBS News affiliate KBAX that firefighters were called to a report of a medical emergency on the plane. The pilot was reported to be “incapacitated,” the fire department said. Firefighters saw the plane approach and land safely, then “chased” the plane down the runway in emergency vehicles to meet it.
The FAA did not release the passenger or pilot’s identities nor give an update on the pilot’s condition. The pilot was taken to an area hospital by ambulance. The passenger did not report any injuries.
The FAA and the National Transportation Security Board will investigate the incident, the FAA said.
