Climber killed after 1,000-foot fall from mountain in Denali National Park identified

Authorities identified the climber who died in Denali National Park last week after falling about 1,000 feet while scaling a mountain in Alaska.

The National Park Service identified the climber as Robbi Mecus, 52, of Keene Valley, New York. Another climber, identified by the NPS as a 30-year-old California woman, was seriously injured and was rescued Friday morning by NPS mountaineering rangers and flown to an Anchorage hospital, according to a news release from the park service.

According to NBC News, Mecus was an avid climber, forest ranger and “strong advocate for expanding the presence of other transgender people in alpine climbing.” The outlet also reports that she co-founded the Queer Ice Fest in the Aldirondack Mountains in 2022.

The two-person ropes team was participating in a 5,000-foot ascending course from Mount Johnson on Thursday. This route, known as “The Escalator,” is “a steep and technical alpine climb on the southeast face of the summit,” according to the National Park Service. The NPS also says the difficult route has a mix of steep rocks, ice and snow.

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Rangers worked to help climbers after fall

At 10:45 p.m. local time, other climbers saw the two climbers falling from the mountain. The Alaska Regional Communications Center was alerted and medical responders responded to the scene. One of the climbers was confirmed dead when responders arrived. The other climber was taken to a makeshift snow cave where he received medical treatment through the night, the park service said.

On the morning of Friday, April 26, Denali's high-altitude helicopter pilot and two mountaineering rangers rescued the injured climbing partner. She was evacuated to Talkeetna, then airlifted to a hospital in Anchorage.

“Deteriorating weather conditions prevented the pilot and rangers from returning to the accident scene Friday,” the NPS said in a statement. “At 8 a.m. Saturday morning, weather allowed the helicopter pilot and park rangers to return to Mount Johnson to recover the body of the climber who perished in the fall.”

“We are grateful for the rescue efforts of the Denali Rangers and the two good Samaritans from Mount Johnson who helped save the life of another climber,” Denali National Park Superintendent Brooke Merrell said in the press release.

“We extend our thoughts and condolences to the friends and family of Robbi Mecus,” Merrell said in the press release.

Gabe Hauari is a national news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Robbi Mecus identified as climber killed in Denali National Park