Pungas Tri Baruno Dies On Denali, Second Death In One Week On America’s Highest Peak
Pungas Tri Baruno, a climber from Indonesia, has died while descending from the summit of Denali (Mt. McKinley). Pungas Tri Baruno’s death is the second death this week on North America’s highest peak.
Pungas Tri Baruno had apparently topped out on Denali and was in the process of descending to one of the higher camps. He had complained of a headache while descending and collapsed less than half a kilometer from the summit. Several guides did attempt to revive Baruno, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
From The Jakarta Post:
He collapsed about half a kilometer from the summit — about 5,000 meters above sea level — after complaining of a headache. Several hiking guides tried revive him, but it was already too late.
( Editor’s Note: This quote has been added to clear up any thoughts that I made up the the part about the headache. See comments below. If it has, in fact been misreported in the press, it is on their part, and not my own. I only report what I read and 99% of the time I do have the source. Feel free to click the article and read it for yourself.)
Baruno’s death on Denali represents the second climber death this week. This past Friday, climber James Nasti collapsed on the summit. Nasti’s death resulted in a high-altitude burial as a body recovery was deemed to risky in the area. Baruno’s body is currently being recovered, will undergo some scientific testing, then be shipped back to his native homeland of Indonesia.
Many people have been stopping by and emailing me on this latest incident–the second death on Denali in a week. I was holding off on posting about Baruno until I was certain that his family had been contacted in regards to this situation. When it first occured, there was not a whole lot of information coming out. I do have a few more facts about Pungas Tri Baruno at this time, as well as more information on the death of James Nasti.
Filed Under Denali, Mt. McKinley |
Alpine Ascents Climber Dies On Denali (Mt. McKinley) Summit
For Immediate Release
Contact: Maureen McLaughlin, (907) 733-9103
Fatality on Mt. McKinley
A climber collapsed and died on the summit of Mt. McKinley on the evening of July 4, 2008. James Nasti, age 51, of Naperville, Illinois was a client on an Alpine Ascents International expedition that began their climb on June 20. According to the two expedition guides, Nasti exhibited no signs of distress or illness throughout the trip, and was climbing strongly immediately prior to the collapse. The guides administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for up to 45 minutes, but Nasti did not regain a pulse.
Denali National Park mountaineering rangers at the 14,200-foot camp were immediately notified by the guides via radio. The team was instructed by the NPS rangers to descend carefully with the remaining four clients to the 17,200-foot camp, as there was no safe means of recovering the deceased at that time. Conditions were initially calm and clear on the summit, though weather began to deteriorate as the incident progressed.
The 20,320-foot summit of Mt. McKinley features an exposed flat area roughly the size of a single car garage. Just below the summit, climbers must negotiate a 500-foot-long knife-edge ridge. A recovery along this ridge would require a highly skilled technical rescue team and a rope rigging system. Considering the high risk involved in such a ground lowering, as well as the excessive risk of a helicopter recovery at this extreme elevation, the National Park Service has determined that the safest alternative is to leave the remains of the deceased climber on the mountain at this time.
This incident represents the first time a mountaineer has died on Mt.
McKinley’s summit. In 1988, a climber died at an elevation of 19,600-feet on a descent from the summit; the body was not recovered.
— NPS —
Maureen McLaughlin
Mountaineering Administration and Public Information
Talkeetna Ranger Station
Denali National Park & Preserve
PO Box 588
Talkeetna, Alaska 99676
(907) 733-9103 (phone)
(907) 733-1465 (fax)
Filed Under Denali, Mt. McKinley, Uncategorized |
Two Japanese Climbers Missing On Denali
Two Japanese climbers have went missing on Denali. Bear with me here, I am having to piece this one together from two different sources.
From ABC-of-Mountaineering:
Denali National Park and Preserve spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin refused to name the missing climbers but said both are in their mid-20s, experienced climbers, and that one of them even spent time in the Alaska Range in 2006 and 2007. The two men, who were last seen on May 9 when preparing for their climb, were expected to return on Thursday, May 22.
Obviously, the climbers never returned. This article is pretty short, but gives us a synopsis of what has taken place. It also mentions that bad weather has plagued the SAR (Search and Rescue) efforts. The two men were known to be climbing near the Cassin Ridge.
Jumping over to the Alpinist Newswire today, we learn that three Japanese climbers have recently linked up two of Denali’s hardest routes. From May 11-May 18, climbers Katsutaka Yokoyama, Yusuke Sato, and Fumitaka Ichimura linked up the Isis Face, the Stutzman-Tackle and the Slovak Direct routes in one continuous 8 day push. This, in and of itself, is a pretty amazing feat. A little bit further into the article, we get this small snippet:
From The Alpinist Newswire:
The success was tempered by apparent tragedy, however, as two of their friends remain missing on Denali.
Further, in the same article, while speaking of the missing climbers:
They had planned to climb the Cassin after first traversing Kahiltna Peak, but for unknown reasons gave up the traverse and repositioned themselves on the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna. They are believed to have begun climbing sometime around May 14 or 15, but while Yokoyama sighted tracks on the upper part of the Cassin, he was unsure if they had been made by his friends.
It is also noted that in recent days the NPS (National Park Service) had been able to do aerial searches of the region, but thus far, have still not found any signs of the missing climbers. The missing climbers’ names have not been released at this time, pending their families arrival to the area.
I am not trying to jump out on a limb here, but if the climbers failed to return on May 22, and no signs of them have been found, up to this point–it’s just not looking very good. On the upside, all five of the Japanese climbers are experienced Alpinists and members of a group of climbers known as the Giri-Giri Boys.
The Giri-Giri Boys have been climbing “in the shadows” a bit and knocking off some of the toughest problems in the world, in relation to mountaineering. Last year they set up a few new routes in the Ruth Gorge, and recently topped that off with their success on Denali. The new link-up on Denali covered 16,000 vertical feet. For the Isis Face, it was the third ascent of this route, and likewise, with the Slovak Direct, they put up the fourth ascent. For the combo route of the two, the Giri-Giri Boys are the only and the first ones in history to complete this very difficult climb.
Many times in Mountaineering we find that Success and Tragedy walk hand in hand. Let’s keep our thoughts on the two missing climbers on Denali and pray for their family, friends, and associates. I will update you when I learn more.
Filed Under Denali, Mt. McKinley |
Robert Link Claims 300th Summit of Mt. Rainier
Baseball is famous for it’s ‘clubs’. You have the 3,000 hit club, the 3,000 strike-out club, and the 40-40. Mountain climbing has a small club of it’s own.
Robert Link of Bend, Oregon has just claimed his 300th summit on Mt. Rainier. Robert has been a guide on Rainier for quite some time. He owns his own guiding company, Mountain Link Guides, as well as working Mt. Rainier expeditions for Alpine Ascents.
Link first summited Rainier when he was 12 years old and 26 years later he can now lay claim to his 300th summit of the famed mountain.
Robert Link is not alone in this famed club though. As a matter of fact, he is the seventh member of the 300 summit club, as well as the second person from Bend, Oregon to claim the title.
Link has averaged 12 Rainier summits a year, since 1981, when he first began guiding on the famed mountain. Link has also managed to fit in successful summits of Mt. Everest and Denali in his spare time, as well as becoming the 5th American to summit Kangchenjunga, the world’s third highest peak.
Robert is currently at Mt. Rainier now, going for number 301. So how does he stack up with the other members of the 300 summit club? Here are the stats for all seven members of the famed club:
- George Dunn–490 summits
- Phil Ershler–430 summits
- Craig Van Hoy –357 summits
- Brent Okita–342 summts
- Paul Maier–333 summits
- Jason Edwards–304
- Robert Link–300
You can tell that Robert has quite a ways to go to catch Seattle’s George Dunn at 490 summits.
Next year Robert Link is setting his sights on K2 for a non-guided expedition to the top of the world’s most dangerous peak.
Sources: The Bend Bulletin and The Tacoma News Tribune
Filed Under Alpine Ascents International, Brent Okita, Craig Van Hoy, Denali, George Dunn, Jason Edwards, K2, Kangchenjunga, Mountain Link Guides, Mt. Everest, Mt. McKinley, Mt. Rainier, Paul Maier, Phil Ershler, Robert Link |
New Assault on the Seven Summits
Brendon Bratt and Andrew Hillery are planning on assaulting the Seven Summit quest this Spring, yet they have never climbed a mountian before..
The two natives of New Orleans, LA have put together a plan to tackle the highest peak on each of the seven continents. Their motivation? Tackling mother nature for putting their butts out on the street during Hurricane Katrina.
The two are currently seeking sponsorship to allow them to reach their quest. The pair have already attended a glacier climbing and crevasse rescue school in preparation for the assault.
Their eventual goal is to reach the top of Mt. Everest..but in order to get there they are first going to claim the other six peaks leading to the Seven Summits title. The two will begin their mission this next spring–traveling to Denali for the first step on a long journey.
Bratt and Hillery have been busy training for their first mission. Weight-lifting, building endurance, and lung capacity have been their focus.
The pair recently had the chance to talk to LSU’s Online Student Paper, TigerWeekly, about their upcoming attempt. Brendan Bratt is an LSU pre-veterinary senior while his climbing partner and fellow New Orleans resident, Andrew Hillery, is an undergraduate student at The University of Alabama.
When discussing the eventual goal of trying to claim the peak of the world’s tallest mountain to TigerWeekly Reporter Rachel Thrace, Brendon Brat exclaimed:
When I think about Everest, I do get intimidated and scared.
I am sure he is not alone. Over the years Mt. Everest has claimed the lives of well over 200 individuals that all began with the same drive and enthusiasm as Brendan and Andrew’s.
The Adventurist wishes them luck on this magnificent quest.
To read Rachel Thrace’s Great Article on Bratt and Hillery’s quest, head on over to TigerWeekly
Filed Under Andrew Hillery, Brendan Bratt, Denali, Hurricana Katrina, LSU, Mt. Everest, Mt. McKinley, New Orleans, Seven Summits, University of Alabama |
