Denali claimed it’s fifth casualty of the season last Friday when an Alaskan climber went into cardiac arrest and died soon after reaching the mountain’s summit. Brian Young, 52, was in his tent in Denali’s high camp at 17,200 feet when he stopped breathing. Rangers from a mountaineering patrol stationed at the camp attempted to resuscitate Young, but he did not regain a pulse and was pronounced dead at the scene. In a press release, the National Park Service said that Young’s body would be recovered “when weather permits.” Four other climbers have died on the mountain this season, including three who fell to their deaths in May. Despite the toll, 2011 is not Denali’s deadliest year yet: 11 climbers were killed on the peak in 1992.
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