American Climber Dies On Aconcagua

January 17, 2009

An American climber has died while trying to scale Aconcagua, South America’s highest peak. Details are still a bit sketchy, but it seems like the climber was hit by falling rock. An Argentine Army patrol was running training missions in the area when they came across the climber screaming for help. The army patrol began to make rescue efforts to get the climber down, but he died about an hour later, before the patrol got him to base camp.

The climber is thought to be Arthur D’Lisle, a 51 year-old climber from Kansas who was climbing alone. This has NOT been confirmed by the U.S. Embassy, but is being reported by the Associated Press. It is thought that he died of a head injury and a collapsed lung.

D’Lisle’s death, once confirmed, will be the fifth death this month on South America’s highest peak. I reported on January 12th, that two climbers had been caught in a storm and died. Those two were an Argentine guide and an Italian lady. A German climber died from a crevasse fall, an English climber died of a heart attack a few feet from the summit. Aconcagua generally averages 3 deaths during the summer climbing season.

Let’s keep this latest climber and his family in our thoughts and prayers. I will offer more details once this information has been officially confirmed by the U.S. Embassy in Argentina.

Did you like this? If so, please bookmark it,