What You Missed: Fake Hypothermia SOS Call on Denali Leads to Federal Charges

Welcome to What You Missed, our daily digest of breaking news and topical perspectives from across the outdoor world. You can also get this news delivered to your email inbox six days a week by signing up for the What You Missed newsletter.

A climber phoned in a fake report of hypothermia on Denali so he could be helicoptered off the mountain, say prosecutors in Alaska.

On November 9 officials in Fairbanks filed three federal charges against Dr. Jason Lance, a radiologist from Ogden, Utah, stemming from his attempt to scale 20,320-foot Denali this past May. On May 25, Lance called for a helicopter rescue after one of the climbers in his party, Adam Rawski of British Columbia, suffered a fall and required emergency attention.

Prosecutors say Lance then misled search and rescue crews after he called for a second helicopter rescue, claiming that two other members in his party were suffering from hypothermia. Lance then broke the law again when he refused to hand over Rawski’s satellite communication device to a park ranger.

The situation occurred amid a busy climbing season on Denali and prompted rangers to write a blog post reminding climbers that the Parks Service cannot guarantee rescue on the mountain.

“Rescue is not guaranteed, and your emergency plan should not be contingent upon the NPS,” rangers wrote. “Rescuer safety will always be our first priority, and weather or lack of resources often preclude us from coming to help. The NPS policy is to only respond to immediate threats to life, limb, or eyesight. Anything that we deem falls outside these categories, we will leave you to figure out on your own, and this year we have already turned down rescue requests that don’t meet these criteria.”

Prosecutors described the details of Lance’s SOS call in the complaint, and Casey Grove of Alaska Public Media also wrote about the situation in a recent news story. Lance and Rawski teamed up for a summit push after meeting in a camp at 14,200 feet, but somewhere above 18,000 feet, Rawski showed signs of altitude sickness. Lance pushed on for the summit solo and left Rawski with two other climbers, and the trio began to descend.

Lance then abandoned his own summit push and linked up with the three at lower elevation. As the party descended, Rawski suffered a fall and tumbled 1,000 feet down a slope called the Autobahn. Lance called for help, and eventually a helicopter rescued Rawski, who was later listed in critical condition.

After the rescue, Lance reportedly continued to contact rangers asking to be helicoptered off of the mountain, citing his improper equipment for the descent. After rangers informed Lance that he needed to get down on his own, he reportedly sent another message saying that the other two climbers in his party were suffering from hypothermia and needed evacuation. Those two climbers later told investigators that they were fine.

According to the charges, Lance told the other two climbers that the Park Service should rescue them because “We’ve paid our fee.” Mountaineers must purchase a $375 special use permit to climb the mountain. 

After the trio safely descended, a mountaineering ranger approached Lance to discuss the situation. According to the charges, the ranger then asked to see Rawski’s satellite transmission device, which Lance had taken from him before he was airlifted from the mountain. Lance twice refused to hand over the device, telling the ranger that the requests violated his privacy. Lance eventually surrendered the device.

Lance disputed the story when reached by the Daily Beast for comment.

“The allegations are baseless,” he texted a reporter from the website. “Some of the information in it is inaccurate. There’s also other stuff that went on that’s not mentioned. I’m appalled, really.”

Jocelyn Rivas Becomes Youngest Person to Run 100 Marathons

On Sunday, Jocelyn Rivas, 24, ran the Los Angeles Marathon to complete her 100th career marathon. Pending review by Guinness World Records, Rivas is believed to be the youngest person to ever run 100 marathons.

Rivas hails from El Salvador and immigrated to the United States at age six under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. She took up running in high school and completed her first marathon at age 17.

Rivas said her inspiration to chase the record stemmed from the Trump administration’s plan to end the DREAM Act in 2017.

“I don’t think many people could put a face to Dreamers,” Rivas told Women’s Running. “They think negative things about us. I wanted them to see the face of a Dreamer and be like, this is just one Dreamer, and there’s thousands of Dreamers just like her, just wanting to follow their dreams. So it started with that.”

Bearsun Made It!

Member Exclusive

“How to Save a Ski Town” Gloria Liu examines how some people are battling the workforce shortages and housing problems that plague ski towns. Outside

Around the Outside Network

“Video: Rope Unclips Itself as Climber Leads” Climber Dylan Ehrenburg fell after his knee accidentally rubbed a gate carabiner and unclipped his rope. Climbing

“Impossible Odds Podcast: Hiking Toward Winter” In this episode, hikers Sammy Potter and Jackson Parell trudge through snowdrifts on the Appalachian Trail. Backpacker

“Chris Froome Battled Parasitic Worms in 2021” The four-time Tour de France champion was recently diagnosed and treated for bilharzia. VeloNews

“This Workout Will Whip You Back into Ski Shape” This power endurance circuit will get your muscles ready for the first turns of the season. Ski