The body of a climber who dreamed of summiting Alaska’s Mount McKinley, also known as Denali, has been found two days after he fell approximately 3,000 feet, the National Parks Service said.
Alex Chiu, 41, was ascending the West Buttress climbing route of Mount McKinley — the tallest mountain in North America and third highest in the world — with two others on Monday when he fell at a spot known as Squirrel Point, according to park officials.
After his friends witnessed the fall, they tried to lower themselves as far over the edge as they possibly could, but they weren’t able to hear or see Chiu, NPS said in a news release. They then went back down the mountain for help.
High winds and snow prevented rescue teams from getting to the area where Chiu fell until Wednesday morning, NPS said.
Chiu is one of multiple climbers who have died in falls since 1980 along this section of Mount McKinley’s West Buttress route, according to NPS.
There are currently 500 climbers on Mount McKinley, the park said. The beginning of June is right in the middle of the climbing season, which generally begins in early May and ends in early July, NPS said.
Kiki Intarasuwan is a news editor for CBS News & Stations.
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