# Ski mountaineer dies in fall on Mount McKinley after 3,000-foot drop

Rangers recovered the body of Alex Chiu two days after he fell on the Peters Glacier route in Denali National Park.

A 41-year-old ski mountaineer died after falling more than 3,000 feet on Mount McKinley, with his body recovered two days later after weather allowed a search to reach the site, the National Park Service said.

ABC News identified the climber as Alex Chiu of Seattle, Washington. According to the park service account quoted in the report, Chiu was on the West Buttress climbing route on the Peters Glacier when he fell at a location known as Squirrel Point. The witness statement said the fall occurred on an exposed rocky and serac-covered 3,000-foot face. The two other members of his expedition reported the accident and tried to look over the edge, but they could not see or hear him.

After the fall, the expedition descended the West Buttress route to seek additional help. Search teams were then delayed by high winds and snow, which made the accident site inaccessible until the early morning of Wednesday. Once the weather improved, two mountaineering rangers flew by helicopter from Talkeetna to locate and recover the body.

The park service said the body was brought back to Denali National Park and Preserve headquarters and transferred to the state medical examiner. The report also noted that another unroped French mountaineer died near the same location in 2010 and that his body was never recovered. That detail underscores how unforgiving the terrain around the Peters Glacier can be, particularly for climbers moving without rope protection.

The climbing season on the mountain typically runs from early May to early July, and the park estimated that around 500 climbers were on the mountain at the time. The investigation remained open.

The incident is also a reminder that high-altitude accidents can be shaped as much by the weather as by the fall itself. Search and recovery were delayed by wind and snow, which is typical of the upper mountain environment and one reason the route remains dangerous even for experienced climbers. The rescue window opened only when conditions cleared enough for a helicopter to reach the site.

The report does not describe equipment failure or team error, so the only verified detail about cause is that Chiu fell while unroped. That fact matters because it narrows the story to a tragic fall rather than a broader avalanche or weather disaster. Even with limited detail, the basic picture is stark: a climber fell from a steep face, rescuers had to wait for safe access, and the body was ultimately recovered from a remote glacier route.