HAPE, RAPID ASCENT

Alaska, Mount Foraker

On April 20, 1984, a four member party calling themselves “Tom’s Expanding Headband” expedition, flew to the Kahiltna Glacier at 2100 meters for a climb on the Southeast Ridge of Mount Foraker. After spending a week skiing and climbing in the area, they began their asecnt on April 17, establishing Camp I at 3120 meters. The next day they moved to Camp II at 4200 meters. On April 19, Geoff Hornby (25), feeling a bit poor from the altitude (including a headache), the other three made an attempt for the 5300 meter summit, leaving Hornby to rest for the day. Upon returning at 1300, Hornby looked noticeably worse, but when the suggestion arose to descend, Hornby stated he would do better resting another night. The next morning at 0200, Hornby awoke to early symptoms of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), experiencing difficulty with breathing and a crackling in the lungs. Hornby suspected he had HAPE, since he was stricken with it on Mount McKinley in 1982. By 0500 he was coughing up fluids and experienced a severe headache. Later in the morning the four made an attempt to descend, but were forced to return due to high winds and poor visibility. A second attempt was made later in the day, but Hornby stated he couldn’t make it. Due to the nature of the corniced ridge, Hornby would be required to walk in order to descend. They spent another night at 4200 meters, where Hornby’s condition became visibly worse. As he was still unable to walk, two members, Dave Crowther (29) and Jim Walseth (26), left at 1100 on April 21, descending to Kahiltna Base for assistance. They left the fourth member, Thomas Nonis (26) to care for Hornby. At 1945 they made radio contact with Ranger Roger Robinson at the Talkeetna Ranger Station, relaying their situation. Soloy Helicopters was contracted to make the rescue. Hornby spent another night at 4200 meters where his condition seemed to worsen, as he began to cough up blood. At 0812 on April 22, Kahiltna Base called Ranger Robinson informing him that the weather was reasonable for a pickup. Chris Soloy arrived in Talkeetna at 0930 with a Hughes 500D. Randy Waitman boarded the helicopter as a spotter, while Ranger Robinson flew cover in a plane piloted by Doug Geeting of Talkeetna Air Taxi. They arrived on the scene at 1010 in marginal conditions, and at 1020, Soloy hovered on one skid for the pickup. Due to increasing clouds Soloy was unable to return to pick up Nonis. Soloy continued back to Talkeetna with Hornby, arriving at 1110. Hornby was checked by Ranger Robinson, then flown to Providence Hospital in Anchorage.

Nonis had arranged to descend solo if he was not immediately picked up. He began his descent on the same day of the pickup, reaching the base of the mountain in two days. (Source: Roger Robinson, Mountaineering Ranger, Denali National Park)

Analysis

Because Hornby was well aware that he was susceptible to HAPE, he should have considered that before such a rapid ascent to 4200 meters. The standard rule of ascent is 300 meters a day above 3000 meters. An immediate descent could have been made once the early signs of HAPE were noticed.

Hornby was very fortunate that he was rescued, since their camp offered only minimal space for a helicopter and the weather remained adequate for the pickup. (Source: Roger Robinson, Mountaineering Ranger, Denali National Park)