An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka hoists an injured hiker at Mendenhall Towers outside Juneau, Alaska, June 28, 2019. The climber was flown to an awaiting Capital City Fire/Rescue crew in Juneau and taken to the hospital. (Public domain video by U.S. Coast Guard/Air Station Sitka)
Update (June 29, 11 a.m.) — Matt Miller, KTOO
Bartlett Regional Hospital spokesperson Katie Bausler says Bryson Allen died at 11:27 a.m. on Friday. She said she did not have authorization to disclose the nature of his injuries.
Original story
A Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched to the Mendenhall Towers early Friday morning to rescue a climber hurt in a fall.
Alaska State Troopers say one of the climbers was on rappel when his anchor released and he fell 20-30 feet.
The injured climber, identified as Bryson Allen, 23, of Washington state, was picked up by the Coast Guard helicopter and flown to Bartlett Regional Hospital. Troopers say Allen was unconscious after he fell. They did not disclose the extent of his injuries.
Allen’s two climbing companions, identified as Isaac Hardy, 25, of New York and Bowen Schwanke, 24, of Juneau, were not injured, according to state troopers. They returned to base camp on their own.
The Mendenhall Towers are a set of mountain peaks on the Juneau Icefield, roughly 7 miles north of the Mendenhall Glacier’s terminus.
In March 2018, George “Ryan” Johnson, 34, of Juneau and Marc-Andre Leclerc, 25, of British Columbia, went missing while climbing the Mendenhall Towers. They were later presumed deceased.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched Thursday night. According to an Alaska State Troopers dispatch, the helicopter was dispatched early Friday morning.
