CAMP DENALI, Alaska - The Alaska Air National Guard rescued a Japanese climber early April 21 after he reportedly fell more than 150 feet while climbing Mooses Tooth in Denali National Park.
The 11th Air Force Rescue Coordination Center received the notification after a climber from a separate climbing party used a satellite phone to call and request support at 2:20 a.m.
"We immediately conference called the National Park Service dispatch, who controls the area and listened to the call," said Air Force Capt. Gregg Laird, the 11th Air Force RCC senior controller, Alaska Air National Guard. "However, NPS determined they couldn't support the mission because they wouldn't be able to launch an aircraft until 6 a.m. and the climber needed immediate assistance."
The RCC notified the Alaska Air National Guard's 210th, 211th and 212th Rescue Squadrons, and alert crews responded quickly to their aircraft to make the 120 mile flight, northwest of Anchorage.
"The patient was described as going in and out of conscientiousness and we didn't know if he was still on the rock or down at the base," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Nate Greene, a pararescueman with the Alaska Air National Guard. "We knew that he was out all night though and he needed our help, so with that information we went ahead and launched."
Launching an HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter, followed shortly by an HC-130 "King" aircraft with favorable weather conditions from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the Guardian Angel rescue team headed north in hopes they would be able to reach the climber.
"Once we hit the mountains, the weather was a lot different," Greene said. "We started to fly up the glacier, but we couldn't see very far with clouds moving in and out and poor lighting conditions. We circled back around and fifteen minutes later we were able to get in to the landing strip."
The landing strip, the "Root Canal," is a glacier landing strip used to access the 10,300-foot peak and is where many climbing parties stage before attempting Moose's Tooth.
"We were flying slow orbits over the area, when we spotted a group of people by a tent on a tiny knoll up the hill from the landing strip," Greene said.
After finding a safe place to land, Greene and fellow Alaska Air National Guard pararescueman, Senior Master Sgt. Jonathan Davis, jumped out of the helicopter with two Air Force Reservist pararescuemen from Patrick Air Force Base.
"They kicked us out and we started to drag the litter," Greene said. "Thankfully the climbing party dug us a trail, because we were still 100 meters from the patient and the snow was knee deep up there."
As they finally reached the tent, the pararescue team found the injured climber in a sleeping bag being attended to by two other members of his party, but still in pretty bad condition.
"His right eye was swollen shut, and a lot of coagulated blood was under his hat," Greene said. "He had a skull laceration on top of his head, which tend to bleed a lot, but his condition was still pretty amazing considering the fall he had."
Reportedly, the climber made it to the top of the climb, nicknamed "shaken, not stirred" and was on his way back down when one of his anchors came out of the rock.
"We had to uncover him to check his injuries and he was shaking pretty bad, so we carefully moved him on to a spinal board, then onto a litter that has a hypothermia bag and vinyl cover we call a "diaper" to keep him warm and secure."
After departing the tent, the pararescuemen carried the litter on a new path dug out by members of a second climbing party and were able to reach the helicopter which had moved closer to their location.
After loading the patient into the helicopter at 6:55 a.m., they were safely able to transport him to Providence Hospital at 7:55 a.m. where he is currently being treated.
"I'm just thankful we were able to get to him as quickly as we did," Greene said.
The Alaska Air National Guard's 210th, 211th and 212th Rescue Squadrons were awarded one save for this mission.