
A New Jersey man died in his attempt to summit Denali/NPS file
A 48-year-old New Jersey man hoping to summit Denali died high on the mountain from apparent cardiac arrest.
Fernando Birman, from Stockton, New Jersey, collapsed at 19,700 feet on the 20,310-foot hallmark of Denali National Park and Preserve on Friday evening, according to a park release.
"His mountain guides immediately initiated cardio-pulmonary resuscitation at approximately 5:45 p.m.," but they were unsuccessful in restarting his heart, the release said. "The cause of death is unknown, but consistent with sudden cardiac arrest."
Birman’s guides assisted in the body recovery, which was made from the 19,500-foot plateau known as the Football Field using a short-haul basket. Birman’s body was transferred to the State of Alaska medical examiner late Friday night.
There were two climbing deaths in the park in May. An Austrian who aimed to make a solo climb to the top of Denali died in the process, and a Japanese climber who was not roped up with his teammates died when an ice bridge he was crossing collapsed near their base camp at roughly 8,000 feet on the southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier on Mount Hunter.
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