Why Few Survive a Climb Up Alaska's Frigid Denali

this is one of the most unique landing strips in the world a blanket of snow on top of shifting crevasses the only way to land here is to do it on special retractable skis that flip out underneath the tires but even with this special gear glacier landings can be treacherous in this all-white landscape even experienced pilots can lose a sense of how high they are off the snow but David slighted here hundreds of times and touches down smoothly with his passengers safe and sound now comes the most dangerous part of their journey getting to the top of Mount McKinley from base camp the summit is another 13,000 vertical feet for two and a half miles higher each climber has to carry two to three weeks of supplies they tackle the mountain in small groups all tied together for safety if one falls into a crevasse the others can help pull him or her out but one day before this footage was shot in 2012 a team of five Japanese climbers was swept away at a large Avalanche here on the west buttress route only one of them survived managing to pull himself more than 60 feet out of a crevasse alone badly frostbitten even after a thorough search the bodies of his four friends were never found for most climbers the greatest threat isn't avalanches but frigid weather Denali is one of the coldest mountains on earth since it lies so close to the Arctic Circle temperatures can plunge to minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit in winter at minus 40 in summer fast-moving storms could get at any time backing a lethal mix of snow ice and winds exceeding 100 miles per hour climbing parties are often pinned down for days in their tents as a result only half of those who attempt an alley ever make it to the summit about five hundred climbers each year but for those few that succeed the thrill of reaching this cold snowy spot the very top of the North American continent is amazed

Channel: Smithsonian Channel

Views: 73,501

Rating: 4.875371 out of 5

Keywords: Smithsonian, channel, stream TV, free TV streaming, TV online, video, documentary, free videos, watch, watch online, episodes, facts, North America, United States, Alaska, Denali, Mt. McKinley, mountain, climbing, climbers, snow, cold, dangerous, glacier landings, pilots, summit, 13, 000 vertical feet, safety, 2012, Miyagi Workers Alpine Federation, fatal accident, avalanche

Id: k6gg_LffzeI

Length: 2min 41sec (161 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 21 2014