AVALANCHE, STRANDED

Yukon Territory, Mount Logan, East Ridge

On July 1, 1981, a radio message was received from a party of four climbers (ages 30–34) attempting the east ridge of Mount Logan. They had lost most of their gear in a small avalanche. The weather was poor and there had been a great deal of snow. The slope into which they had dug their snow cave at 15,600 feet was fairly unstable and they were afraid of moving up or down for fear of being swept off the mountain in another avalanche. They had a couple of days of food and fuel left, three sleeping bags and three bivy bags.

A helicopter was flown to Kluane Park from Whitehorse, but the weather on Mount Logan prevented a rescue attempt until July 3. At this altitude, the helicopter could not perform a winch rescue so prepackaged supplies were dropped. With these supplies the climbers were able to climb down. They reached the base of the ridge on July 8 and were flown out the same day. (Source: L. Freeze, Kluane National Park)