JUNEAU, Alaska — A skier from Washington state died after being caught in an avalanche on North America’s tallest peak, officials said Wednesday — the second death of this year’s climbing season on Alaska’s Mount McKinley.
Nicholas Vizzini, 29, and his climbing partner, a snowboarder, triggered the avalanche high on the 20,310-foot peak Tuesday while descending a slope, according to a statement from Denali National Park and Preserve.
The top of where the avalanche released was at approximately 16,600 feet and ran down to about 15,000 feet, the park said.
Two mountaineering rangers on the mountain responded within minutes after spotting Vizzini’s partner amid the avalanche debris, the park statement said. They were able to detect a beacon signal and find Vizzini, who was mostly buried in debris. The rangers tried lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead Tuesday evening, the statement said.
Vizzini’s body was recovered and transferred to the state medical examiner’s office. His partner sustained minor injuries and was scheduled to leave the mountain Wednesday, according to the statement.
Earlier this month, Alex Chiu, a ski mountaineer from Seattle, died from a 3,000-foot fall on the mountain’s West Buttress climbing route.
The climbing season typically runs from early May to early July. There are about 500 climbers on Mount McKinley now, the park said.
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