Robin Pendery, a National Park Service (NPS) ranger, recently died while on duty after falling into a crevasse on Mount McKinley in Alaska’s Denali National Park. An NPS press release announcing the tragic news says Pendery was on a “climbing patrol” when the accident happened.
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“A National Park Service employee on a climbing patrol died around 2 p.m. Thursday after falling into a crevasse near 14,000 Foot Camp on Mount McKinley,” the press release reads. “The ranger was identified as Robin Pendery of Enumclaw, Wash.; a seasonal mountaineering ranger assigned to Denali National Park and Preserve. Pendery first joined the Denali mountaineering staff in 2024, supporting climber safety, emergency response, and mountaineering operations on North America’s highest peak. National Park Service personnel responded immediately to the incident. Despite rescue efforts, the employee did not survive.”
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Pendery was also a long-time mountaineering guide with Alpine Ascents, a Seattle, Washington-based company. Colleagues say Pendery was a seasoned mountaineer with many dozens of successful Denali ascents on her resume. A former colleague says Pendery likely stepped on top of a light layer of snow covering a crevasse/fissure in the glacier and then fell into the crack.
See Alpine Ascents’ post about Pendery’s legacy below:
Here’s an interview with her former colleague and friend:
This situation is still developing, and details may change.
Header stock image by Menno Boermans/Getty Images
