A 23-year-old climber from Washington who was injured on the Mendenhall Towers near Juneau has died from his injuries, authorities say.
Bartlett Regional Hospital spokeswoman Katie Bausler confirmed that Bryson Allen died Friday around 11:30 a.m. Next of kin has been notified, she said.
Allen was climbing the towers, jagged peaks that rise nearly 7,000 feet above the Juneau Icefield, with two others, 25-year-old Isaac Hardy from New York and 24-year-old Bowen Schwanke of Juneau, according to Alaska State Troopers.
The Alaska State Trooper dispatch states Allen was rappelling down the tower when his anchor released and he fell 20 to 30 feet to a ledge below, where he became unconscious. He was hoisted off the mountain by a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka. The Coast Guard released video of the rescue Friday morning.
The two other climbers were not injured, and safely returned to their base camp after Allen was medevaced out by helicopter. He was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau, a little before 5 a.m.
The Mendenhall Towers provide a backdrop to the Mendenhall Glacier and attract climbers from near and far.
Two experienced climbers perished on the peak in March 2018, local climber George “Ryan” Johnson and British Columbia climber Marc-André Leclerc.
