Members of a college mountaineering class were descending from a snowfield in the Chugach Mountains when they slid on the 60-degree slope into a boulder field 1,000 feet below.
Two people, a man and a woman, were killed.Twelve others were injured in the accident Sunday evening on Ptarmigan Peak, about 16 miles southeast of Anchorage.
Seven men and five women were transferred from the mountain to Providence Alaska Medical Center by helicopter, said hospital spokeswoman Janet Asaro. She said two were confirmed dead and the others were in serious condition with multiple fracture injuries and lacerations.
Climbers in the University of Alaska Anchorage group were roped together in teams of two or three. They were descending from the top of Ptarmigan Peak, which is nearly 5,000 feet high, when the accident occurred, said Alaska State Troopers spokesman Steve Wilhelmi.
"The uppermost team apparently slipped and fell and that started the whole group falling," Wilhelmi said.
They dropped about 1,000 feet and stopped when they hit a boulder field, he said. Most suffered head injuries and broken bones, Wilhelmi said.
Identities of the victims weren't available.
Shawn Armstrong, 28, was jogging along a trail at the base of Ptarmigan Peak when she heard the screams of the injured. She helped skiers who witnessed the accident carry sleeping bags and clothing to the injured.
"They were all pretty messed up," Armstrong said. "We were thankful the helicopters came when they did. There were some people who really needed to get out of there."
University spokesman Mel Kalkowski said: "What we know is that the students were taking a course called Mountaineering 1, an introduction for those with limited or no climbing experience. This was their second field outing."
Lisa Luther, an Anchorage accountant who took the UAA Wilderness Studies class last year, said the area is "pretty steep. I remember it being very treacherous on the way down."