A climber stranded for several days near the summit of Denali has been rescued, the other has died

A climber stranded near the summit of Denali since Tuesday was rescued by helicopter Friday morning, the National Park Service said, but his climbing partner died while waiting for rescue.

Clouds and high winds prevented park authorities from reaching the men until about 6 a.m. Friday. The park service's high-altitude helicopter pilot dropped a bag of survival gear near their shelter around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, but winds were too strong to evacuate the men safely, national park officials said and Denali Reserve in a media release. The pilot said a man waved to him during the drop.

The pilot and a ranger returned Friday with a short-distance rescue basket on a rope, and the surviving climber was evacuated to Kahiltna Base Camp, 7,200 feet above sea level, they said. park services. From there, he was taken to the Talkeetna airport and then flown to a hospital in Anchorage, park spokesman Paul Ollig said.

The severity of his injuries was not immediately known, but Ollig said he was “in surprisingly strong condition and walking alone when they arrived in Talkeetna.”

The climber told authorities his partner had died two days earlier in their snow cave, the park service said.

The two Malaysian climbers, aged 36 and 47, became exhausted and hypothermic after reaching the summit of the mountain, peaking at 20,310 feet, and called for help around 1 a.m. Tuesday. They had been sheltering in a coarse snow cave at 19,600 feet since Tuesday evening, the release said.

Another man in their group had gone down to the high camp Tuesday and was evacuated that night in serious condition, park officials said.

Park rangers received five short messages Wednesday evening from the stranded climbers confirming their location, asking for help and informing authorities that their InReach was almost out of battery, the park service said.

An experienced guide had rescued the stranded men Tuesday but descended that night to the mountain's camp, 17,200 feet above sea level, for his own safety as winds increased, the park service said.

A ground team of rangers and mountaineering volunteers was ready Thursday at the high camp to attempt a rescue if weather permitted, park services said. The helicopter pilot was also on standby Thursday.

The rescue was particularly difficult because it took place at a very high altitude, Ollig said.

All three climbers had “several high-altitude international peaks listed in their climbing history,” Ollig said. Two of the men had previously climbed Denali, he said.

This is the third death in the park so far during this climbing season, which typically begins in May and ends in early July. A Japanese climber died in a fall on Denali this month and a New York state ranger fell and died on Mount Johnson in April.

There are usually about 20 serious search and rescue operations each year, Ollig said. There have been seven so far this year, he said.

There were 414 climbers Friday at Denali, according to Ollig. Ninety-nine of the previous 236 climbers reached the summit, for a summit success rate of 42 percent, he said.

Rangers will plan a recovery effort in the coming days and park officials will identify the man after his family is notified, the release said.