Two Spanish mountain climbers were seriously hurt after falling on their way down from Denali Pass on Mount McKinley late Wednesday night.
Francisco Rodriguez Martin, 35, suffered broken ribs and severe frostbite and Miguel Angel Romero Ruiz, 33, suffered a fractured ankle, a head injury and possibly a broken neck. Both men were being treated at Providence Alaska Medical Center on Thursday.
The climbers, members of the five-person Gamba De Palamos expedition, were traveling unroped from the 18,200-foot level to the 17,200-foot high camp on the West Buttress route when they fell.
It was the first rescue of this year's McKinley climbing season, which runs from late April to mid-July. According to the Talkeetna Ranger Station, 322 climbers have been issued permits to climb McKinley as of Thursday. Another 32 have climbed and returned, of which three reached the 20,320-foot summit.
http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/1111421p-1218728c.html
The latest McKinley from the Anchorage Daily News is available at:
http://www.adn.com/dwb_search/index.html?target=Mount+McKinley&collection=Current%3BArchive
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