As we have already reported, three climbers from Latvia died while falling from the highest mountain in North America, Denali (McKinley), as stated by the Latvian Climbing Union.
The union reports that climbers Inese Pučeka, Viya Olte, and Renars Kunigs-Salaks have died.
As a result of the accident, Martiņš Bilzens was also injured and was evacuated in critical condition and handed over to the care of American medics. The other expedition members Valdis Purinš, Edgars Madžulis, and Guntis Svarinš remained in the camp after the accident to begin a safe descent with the help of rescuers.
According to information provided by the U.S. National Park Service, the accident occurred on the climbing route between the upper intermediate camp of the mountain ("High Camp") and Denali Pass, starting from a location near Denali Pass at an altitude of approximately 18,200 feet, or 5,545 meters.
The expedition team had previously informed the LETA agency that the high-altitude expedition of the Latvian climbers was planned from May 10 to June 11. The goal of the expedition was to reach the highest peak of the North American continent - Denali, which is 6,190 meters high.
Denali is the closest mountain of that height to the Arctic Circle. The climbers had previously emphasized that this expedition was not so much about height as it was about cold. Temperatures were expected to be minus 30 degrees, with storms and more than three weeks of living in a tent on snow, carrying a 25-kilogram backpack.
Expedition participant Purinš shared photos, videos, and impressions during the expedition on the "Facebook" platform. For example, on May 24, he wrote that "I would gladly be sitting on a warm stone by the shore in Kaltene watching swans, but instead, for the 11th day, I see only snow, ice, and wind-scorched faces." He also shared photos from the expedition on May 24 and wrote: "Denali, Alaska, it's cold."
At the same time, Purinš shared his experiences on the mountain community page "Kalnu saule" on "Facebook." In one of the posts, he wrote that on May 24, they still could not accomplish their goal of lifting all the cargo buried at an altitude of 4,900 m to the fourth camp at 5,200 m.
He also mentioned in the post that after battling the wind on May 24 and ten hours of climbing, it was decided to take another day of rest. "I will humbly remain silent about the weather conditions. We will need a lot of strength, will, and a bit of luck for this whole puzzle to fit into the right combination. If we set out with the tents to the fourth camp tomorrow, the next news will only be on Friday or Saturday, May 30," he wrote.
The climbers had previously reported that Purinš, Madžulis, and the deceased Pučeka participated in two previous expeditions of the LAS clubs, reaching the summits of Avicenna (7,134 m), Ozodi (7,105 m), and Somoni (7,495 m), climbing to a peak nearly 6,000 m high in the Minjar Valley in the Pamirs and gaining experience in high-altitude conditions.
It was also mentioned that the other expedition members - the deceased Olte and Kunigs-Salaks, as well as Bilzens, Zeimulins, and Svarinš - have the necessary high-altitude experience.
The summit of Denali is only 390 kilometers (km) from the Arctic Circle, the route starts at an altitude of 2,200 m on the Kahiltna Glacier, and it can only be reached by planes that land directly on the ice.
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