Anchorage Daily News

DENALI PARK -- The National Park Service searched Mount McKinley without success Saturday for two missing climbers who were two days overdue from an attempt on one of the mountain's more challenging routes.

The missing men are both from Japan and in their mid-20s, said Park Service spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin.

The pair has been climbing in the Alaska Range since April 7 and was last seen by another climbing party on May 9. They were expected to return by Thursday.

The Park Service declined to identify the climbers Saturday at the request of the family.

McLaughlin said the search is expected to resume early today -- if weather allows -- using a high altitude helicopter to look for the climbers along the Cassin Ridge route.

"It's climbed by a handful of groups each season, but definitely only more technically experienced folks attempt that," McLaughlin said. "And these men are technically experienced."

The ridge features steep, 55- to 75-degree slopes of snow, ice and rock, according to the Park Service

Cloud cover and winds kept the search helicopter on standby all day Friday, the Park Service reported, and weather conditions limited the search Saturday.

The National Weather Service has issued a high-wind warning for Mount McKinley throughout Memorial Day weekend.

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