ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A climber from Alberta and another from Japan have been killed in an avalanche on Mount Frances in Alaska.
Park rangers at Denali National Park identified the climbers as 33-year-old Jiro Kurihara of Canmore, and 28-year-old Junya Shiraishi of Sapporo, Japan.
National Park Service spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin said the climbers died while attempting a new route on the west face of the 3,185-metre mountain. A search was launched when they did not return to base camp on Monday.
Rangers aboard a helicopter spotted a body lying in avalanche debris at the base of the mountain. Both bodies were recovered Wednesday.
The two climbers arrived in the Alaska Range on April 27. They had successfully climbed Mount McKinley and had a couple of other objectives in mind, McLaughlin said.
The two were last seen at basecamp on McKinley last Saturday. When they hadn’t arrived back from what should have been a day trip, rangers used a spotting scope in hopes of locating them. When that failed, a helicopter search was launched Tuesday.
Park officials say records indicate the two men are the first two fatalities on Mount Frances. Earlier this month, two climbers died in separate incidents on neighbouring Mount McKinley, North America’s highest peak.