A search is underway for two climbers in Denali National Park and Preserve whose tracks, rangers say, led into the path of an avalanche.
According to a park service news release, Eli Michel, 34, of Columbia City, Indiana, and Nafiun Awal, 32, of Seattle, were last heard from early Friday. They told a friend through a satellite communication device that they planned to climb the west ridge of Moose’s Tooth. The 10,335-foot peak is about 50 miles north of Talkeetna.
The two men never checked in again.
National park rangers based in Talkeetna searched the area on Sunday. They found the pair’s unattended tent, ski tracks that led to the base of the route where they switched to boots and crampons, and finally boot tracks leading into a recent avalanche. No other tracks were observed Sunday.
The park service says further ground search is limited due to crevasses and risk of rockfalls and avalanches. A search by helicopter was ongoing Monday.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
