Denali National Park News release:

Aerial Search on Mt. McKinley Suspended

Date: May 26, 2009
Contact: Maureen McLaughlin, (907) 733-9103
Contact: Kris Fister, (907) 683-9583

The active search effort for solo climber Dr. Gerald Myers was scaled back on Tuesday afternoon after search managers determined that further air operations were unlikely to locate him. There has been no sighting of the solo climber or his gear during six days of aerial and ground searching. Although no more aerial flights are anticipated, ranger staff will continue to search through the thousands of high resolution images taken during the aerial flights in search of clues to Dr. Myers whereabouts.

Dr. Myers began his summit bid from the 14,200-foot camp the morning of Tuesday, May 19. He was sighted at various elevations along the West Buttress route that day, the highest of which was somewhere between 18,000 and 19,000 feet. Dr. Myers did not return to high camp on Tuesday night. An individual climber was observed on the summit ridge the afternoon of Wednesday, May 20, although it cannot be confirmed that it was Dr. Myers.

Dr. Myers was observed carrying only a small daypack with minimal survival gear at the time of his disappearance. He did not take a stove for melting snow, and it is unknown how much food he had in his pack. Throughout his climb, Dr. Myers carried an FRS radio and a SPOT locator device; the last GPS location reported by the SPOT device was at the 17,200-foot camp on May 19. Throughout his trip, Myers had been making at least one position recording each day.

In light of his limited supplies and the subzero temperatures, search managers consider that survival is outside the window of possibility. Observers have thoroughly searched the route and surrounding areas to the degree that if the climbers were visible on the surface, there is a high probability they would have been discovered.

Eli notes:  After this many nights out in sub-zero temperatures without shelter, the likelihood of Gerald Myers survival is extremely low at this point in time.  Leaving his camp at 14,200' on the West Buttress and believing that he made it to the summit plateau, searches of the gulleys that descend directly (a steep shortcut) from the summit plateau to the 14k level are a logical possibility.  The primary two gulleys which descend an average of 50 degrees from the summit for 6,000' vertical are the Messner Couloir and Orient Express (named after the many Asians who have fallen down it to their deaths). 

On my last trip on the West Buttress, we were involved in 6 full days of continuous rescues from multiple parties falling down the steepening 'Orient' couloir.  Although it sounds like the NPS has searched the Messner Couloir (FA by Reinhold M.), clearly a thorough search of the Orient Express would be a potential fall zone on this very icy mountain.

Our thoughts and best wishes go out to Gerald's family and friends who are no doubt suffering terribly at this moment in time.  Survival on Denali is highly unlikely without adequate shelter as the combination of high winds and severely cold temperatures can easily combine to lower than negative -100F in the summit plateau region of this massive peak.  Having climbed Denali seven times over the years, I can only imagine how difficult conditions can be for the rescue teams out looking for Gerald.   There are no 'holes' to crawl into up there, and only a big steel blade and a half day of work would be able to dig a hole big enough to crawl into the thick ice that covers that mountain above 17,000'.

My sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of Gerald Myers.

May he rest in peace.

Denali National Park News release:

No Breakthroughs in Search for Missing Climber

Date: May 25, 2009
Contact: Maureen McLaughlin, (907) 733-9103
Contact: Kris Fister, (907) 683-9583 

After five days of aerial and ground searching on Mt. McKinley, there has still been no sighting of Dr. Gerald Myers, nor any evidence of a fall or disturbance on the snow surface.  On Monday, May 25, two teams of NPS ground crews, one out of the 14,200-foot camp and the other from the 17,200-foot camp, searched near the base of the Messner Couloir and along the ridge above Denali Pass, respectively, but neither team found any clues to Dr. Myers whereabouts.  The U.S. Army Chinook helicopters flew early Monday morning, but wind instability at higher elevations turned them back to Talkeetna.  As the winds calmed late in the day, the park’s A-Star B3 helicopter was able to fly the search zone and collect photographs in evening light conditions.  Back at the Talkeetna Ranger Station, staff continues to comb through thousands of high resolution images in hopes of detecting clues.

Tonight, National Park Service search managers will assess the flight and photo data collected throughout the week and determine whether any additional areas warrant more coverage.

Mount McKinley Search Continues

Date: May 23, 2009
Contact: Maureen McLaughlin, (907) 733-9103
Contact: Kris Fister, (907) 683-9583 

The search continued on Saturday for Dr. Gerald Myers, a climber who has not been seen or heard from since his solo summit bid on Mt. McKinley earlier in the week.  Favorable flying conditions in the Alaska Range permitted more extensive aerial searching and photo-documentation of zones previously obscured by clouds.  Three aircraft with spotting crews, including the park’s A-Star B3 helicopter, a Cessna Conquest twin engine airplane, and a Cessna 206, collectively flew over ten hours.  Search zones included the upper mountain, elevations between 14,200 and 17,200 feet, as well as potential north side descent routes.  A ground team climbed to Denali Pass on Saturday, but was turned around by high winds.

Dr. Myers began his summit bid from the 14,200-foot camp the morning of Tuesday, May 19, and is considered to have travelled light with minimal survival gear. He was sighted above Denali Pass (18,200-feet) later that afternoon.  An individual climber was observed on the summit ridge the afternoon of Wednesday, May 20, although it cannot be confirmed that it was Dr. Myers.

Aerial searching is anticipated to continue on Sunday.  The park’s A-Star B3 helicopter will be joined in the search by two U.S. Army Chinook helicopters from Ft. Wainwright in Fairbanks.

Search Underway for Missing Climber on Mt. McKinley

Date: May 21, 2009
Contact: Maureen McLaughlin, (907) 733-9103
Contact: Kris Fister, (907) 683-9583

An initial aerial search for an overdue climber on Mt. McKinley was flown on the morning of Thursday, May 21 by an Air National Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft. There were no initial sightings of the solo climber, although considerable cloud cover and high winds at upper elevations greatly limited the search.

Gerald Myers, a 41-year-old resident of Centennial, Colorado, began a long solo bid for the summit during the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 19. According to a note left for his three climbing partners, Myers departed the 14,200-foot camp around 4:30 a.m. Myers was next seen at the 17,200-foot high camp at approximately 11:00 a.m. that same morning, grabbing his skis and digging into a cache that the team had left there on a previous acclimatization day. Other sightings that afternoon were made on the traverse to Denali Pass at 18,600 feet and then again near 18,900 feet. According to NPS rangers on patrol at high camp, Myers did not return to camp Tuesday night.

Gerald Myers in 2007 from his Mountain Project personal page- click here to view more of Gerald's photos.

 During their investigations the following day, rangers learned that Myers was seen by another party at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday May 20 as he climbed the ridge approaching the mountain’s 20,320-foot summit. A subsequent team travelling approximately two hours behind the earlier party did not see any sign of the soloist during their summit bid; Myers did not return to high camp Wednesday night. At the time, weather high on the mountain was deteriorating with winds gusting 40 to 50 mph.

Myers was reportedly carrying skis on his backpack when he was spotted near the summit. Based on equipment left at various caches on the mountain, it is expected that Myers was carrying minimal survival gear at the time of his disappearance. While he departed camp in warm clothing, Myers was travelling light and did not appear to take a sleeping bag, thermal pad, bivy sac, or a stove for melting snow. It is unknown how much food or water he had in his pack.

The slope above the 17,200' high camp on Denali known as the Audobon- and the site of many deadly falls over the years on this cold and icy mountain.

According to his partners, the climber was likely carrying his FRS ‘family band’ radio as well as a SPOT locator beacon. Myers had programmed his SPOT device with three button settings: “OK, moving up”, “OK, but not moving”, and “911”. According to the GPS data recorded by the SPOT, the last electronically recorded location was the 17,200-foot camp at 10:50 a.m. on May 19, when Myers had recorded his position by pressing the “OK, moving up” button. Throughout his trip, Myers had reportedly been making one position recording each day.

Aerial searching will continue as visibility and winds allow. NPS rangers and volunteers at the 14,200-foot camp and at high camp have been conducting visual searches via spotting scope of possible ski descent routes. Currently, visibility is generally obscured by clouds, with wind gusting to 45 mph near the summit.