Climber dies in fall on Glacier's Mount Jackson

A mountain climber died Tuesday while descending Mount Jackson in Glacier National Park. The Park Service reported that two men, a father and son, were descending the east face when they slipped and fell on a snowfield. The son was able to self-arrest and had injuries, but he could not locate his father, Dann R. Pilipow, 56, of Portage, Indiana.

Pilipow fell 80 to 100 feet, Park officials said.

The son, 27, whose name was not released, hiked back to the Gunsight Lake campground, where the incident was reported to Park dispatch at 11:08 p.m.

A camper at Gunsight with a satellite phone was able to text for help, Park spokesman Tim Rains said.

The son was transported to West Glacier via helicopter and then to the hospital via Three Rivers Ambulance.

Park rangers worked with Two Bear Air and Minutemen Aviation to locate the body of Pilipow on Wednesday. A technical rescue team worked with Minutemen Aviation to recover Pilipow.

“Our condolences go out to the friends and family during this time of grief,” the Park Service said in a release.

Denis Twohig of Columbia Falls said Pilipow was a longtime member of the Glacier Mountaineering Society and the two had been on climbs together over the years, but they hadn’t done anything recently.

He said the Pilipows used to host a Saturday night dinner at Swiftcurrent in Many Glacier during Glacier Mountaineer Society week in the Park, where climbers get together to climb, hike and socialize.

“I was shocked when I heard it was Dann,” Twohig said. “He was really a nice guy. A real pleasant guy.”

Twohig recalled Pilipow as an excellent scrambler, but not a technical climber. Twohig, who is a noted and experienced climber in the Park, said he was puzzled by the east descent the two men took. The traditional route is a north-facing ridge which has no snow — especially this time of year. The east face descends toward Jackson Glacier.

Jackson is one of six 10,000-foot peaks in Glacier. It’s listed in climbing guides as a class 3 and 4 mountain, but it’s also a long journey to the top, with an elevation gain of 6,000 feet from the trailhead at the Sun Road. It’s the fourth-highest mountain in Glacier.