orth Bend mountaineer dies after fall on Mount McKinley

Published 9:41 am Thursday, October 2, 2008

A North Bend man died Friday, May 18, after falling 1,900 feet during a descent of Mount McKinley in Alaska.

Brian Massey, 27, and his climbing partner Mizuki Takahashi, 36, of Lake Forest Park had climbed to the mountain’s summit the previous day from a base camp at 14,200 feet.

Staff at Denali National Park, where the mountain is located, detailed the events surrounding Massey’s death.

Takahashi and Massey had left the 14,200-foot camp on Tuesday morning for an ascent of the Upper West Rib route of Mount McKinley. A third team member stayed behind at the 14,200-foot camp. Takahashi and Massey reached the summit the evening of the May 17 and began the decent.

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