Local pair die in fall during ascent of Mt. McKinley

Two Seattle-area climbers died after a fall Thursday night, about 1,000 feet short of the summit of Alaska's Mount McKinley.

The National Park Service announced the deaths of Brian Massey, 27, a Kent firefighter from North Bend, and his climbing partner, Mizuki Takahashi, 36, of Lake Forest Park.

The two had been climbing the 20,320-foot mountain, the highest in North America, since Tuesday morning when they left their 14,200-foot camp intending to scale the peak on the Upper West Rib route, according to a park service news release. They were at about 19,000 feet Thursday evening when the roped pair fell.

Their 1,900-foot fall was witnessed by a park ranger, who then organized a rescue team. When rescuers reached the pair, Takahashi was dead, and Massey was unconscious. The team brought Massey back to a camp and provided first aid, but Massey died at about 8:30 a.m. Friday.

Cloud cover and darkness prevented a helicopter from evacuating Massey overnight, according to the park service.

What caused the incident may never be known, park service spokeswoman Kris Fister said. There was a third team member, but he had stayed behind at a lower elevation.

Kent Fire officials said Massey joined the department in January 2005 and was working on an engine company. He also taught Community Emergency Response Team classes.

Kent Fire Department Capt. Kyle Ohashi said he got to know Massey while teaching one of those classes.

"He was a great instructor. The class students enjoyed his personality," Ohashi said. "He was much more than just a second-year firefighter to us."

Massey was tech-savvy and was helping the department switch from paper maps to electronic maps, Ohashi said.

Massey had recently married, Ohashi said. Both Massey and his wife, Jessica, have family in the Northwest, he said.

Friends said Massey was an experienced climber and was prepared for the McKinley ascent, according to the fire department.

Service arrangements were unknown late Friday. The bodies of the two climbers were still on the mountain but were expected to be flown out when conditions permit, according to the park service.

It was the first climbing fatality on Mount McKinley since May 2005 when two Ohio men died, Fister said.

Brian Alexander: 206-464-2026 or balexander@seattletimes.com

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.