The mountain rescue team overseeing America’s tallest mountain could be cut in half as part of a government policy to reduce spending and downsize federal agencies.
The new measure would mean only six rescuers will watch over the 500,000 visitors and 1,000 climbers who flock to Denali National Park every summer. Of those six, two are supervisors who must remain in the office, leaving just four rescuers on the mountain during the peak climbing season.
It comes after a federal hiring freeze was signed into law by President Donald Trump last month.
The freeze stops government agencies from hiring new employees and spells trouble for the National Park Service, which hires an army of temporary workers each year to help manage the nation's wilderness areas in the busy summer months.
Despite a new order exempting seasonal employees from the freeze, many were reportedly still told they no longer have job offers. The National Parks Conservation Association claims that more than 2,000 temporary employees have had job offers rescinded.
Six of Denali’s 12 current rescuers are employed on a seasonal basis, joining up with the rest in May for the climbing season. ExplorersWeb reports that they have also had their job offers rescinded.
When questioned on the hiring freeze, the NPS told Advnture:
"The National Park Service is implementing President Donald J. Trump’s Hiring Freeze Executive Order across the federal civilian workforce. The order does allow for exemptions for the hiring of certain positions.
"The NPS is assessing our most critical staffing needs for park operations for the coming season and is working to hire key positions. The NPS is committed to protecting public lands, infrastructure, and communities while ensuring public access."
At 20,310ft / 6,190m, Denali is the tallest mountain in North America. Climbers attempting to scale it brave extreme weather conditions and temperatures well below freezing. More than 50 people have died on mountain since 2010.
America's tallest peak has already been in the news in recent weeks.
Last month, President Trump stirred controversy by reversing an order that recognised the mountain by its indigenous name - Denali, the moniker native Alaskans say had been in use for more than 10,000 years.
Trump officially changed the name back to Mount McKinley, after the 25th US President, William McKinley.
President McKinley never visited his name-sake or even the state of Alaska, nor did he have any cultural connection to the area.
The move was met with widespread criticism from political opponents and the native Alaskan community.
“I strongly disagree with the President’s decision on Denali,” said Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“Our nation’s tallest mountain, which has been called Denali for thousands of years, must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time immemorial."
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