Climber who fell 1,000 feet off ridge at Denali NP rescued with 'minor injuries,' park says

Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY
Updated ·1 min read
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A photo provided by the National Park Service show the West Ridge climbing route of Moose's Tooth, a 10,300-foot peak in Denali National Park
A photo provided by the National Park Service show the West Ridge climbing route of Moose's Tooth, a 10,300-foot peak in Denali National Park

A climber who fell more than 1,000 feet off a ridge in Alaska's Denali National Park is recovering after suffering "minor injuries," the National Park Service is reporting.

Tatsuto Hatanaka, 24, of Setagaya-ku, Japan, was taken by medical helicopter to a hospital after park officials said he fell from a ridge on the West Buttress at an elevation of 16,200 feet, while climbing to Peters Glacier on Friday night.

According to a press release, Hatanaka was climbing with a partner , when at about 11 p.m., Hatanaka’s partner watched him fall from a ridge but could not see where he landed. About 2 p.m. on Saturday, Rangers were notified about the fall and a National Park Service helicopter was dispatched to the area where it located Hatanaka alive.

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Rangers then conducted a ground search from an elevated foot camp and found Hatanaka at an elevation of 15,100 feet on the upper Peters Glacier.

A ranger evacuated him and determined he suffered "minor injuries," according to the release. Park officials did not disclose his specific injuries.

USA TODAY reached out to the National Park Service for more information.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Climber falls at Denali National Park, rescued 1,000 feet below