Experienced Climber Dies After 3,000 Foot Fall Off Largest Mountain In North America
An experienced climber has died after falling 3,000 feet off the largest mountain in North America.
On June 2, Alex Chiu, an avid outdoorist, climber, and mountaineer, was living his dream of scaling Mount McKinley. As he was mountaineering the West Buttress route of the mountain, Chiu suddenly fell. The fall was more than 3,000 feet off the side of Mount McKinley, toward the Peters Glacier.
Chiu was not wearing a harness or ropes as he mountaineered Mount McKinley, a way of ascending and descending the mountain using skis.
In an Instagram post dated May 19, it was clear how passionate Chiu was about scaling Mount McKinley , stating he did not want to know what a "dream deferred" felt like.
"So tomorrow I am getting on an airplane to Alaska in an attempt to climb the third-highest peak in the world because I don’t want to know what happens to a dream deferred." - Alex Chiu
Sadly, Chiu was never able to see his dream realized, as his young life was cut short in his attempt to scale one of the world's most massive mountains.
Weather Played A Factor In Delaying Recovery
When Chiu fell on June 2, those in his party attempted to locate Chiu. Unfortunately, even after lowering themselves as far as they could over the edge of the location of the fall , according to National Park Service officials, they were unable to locate Chiu. That is when they began their descent down the mountain for assistance.
"On Monday, June 2, the other two members of Chiu’s expedition reported that the un-roped ski mountaineer fell at a location known as Squirrel Point towards the Peters Glacier, an exposed rocky and serac covered 3000-foot face. After witnessing the fall, the reporting party lowered over the edge as far as possible but was unable to see or hear Chiu. They then descended the West Buttress route for additional help before proceeding to Camp 1." - National Park Service statement
After the National Park Service received a call regarding Chiu, conditions did not allow them to search for the fallen mountaineer immediately . Both ground and air search were at a standstill until the snow and high winds significantly calmed. Consequently, it was not until Wednesday that specially trained mountaineering National Park Service rangers were able to search and locate Chiu's body.
Once Chiu was recovered, he was taken back to the Denali National Park headquarters, where he was then transferred to the state medical examiner.
Not The First Time A Climber Has Died In This Location
Despite Mount McKinley being a challenging mountain to climb, that does not stop over 1,200 people from attempting it every year. Many choose to use ropes and harnesses to make their way to the top. However, some decide to mountaineer versus climb, as Chiu did, which involves using skis to navigate the glaciated terrain on the West Buttress climbing route.
The route is not highly technical, like some of the other mountains that make up the "Seven Summits." But due to the glacial ice, altitude, and extreme temperatures, it isn't easy.
Consequently, Chiu is not the first person to fall near Squirrel Point and also face dire consequences.
In 2010, a French mountaineer, also not wearing any ropes or harness, fell to his death in nearly the exact location as Chiu did . Unfortunately, after searching for the man, his body was never located.
In total, the most recent statistics show 127 people have died trying to scale Mount McKinley since 1932.
The success rate for reaching the top of Mount McKinley is approximately 52%. However, 2024 was a remarkable year with a 100% success rate.
Scaling Mount McKinley is not for the faint of heart. Only those with proper training should attempt to reach the summit of the massive peak. Unfortunately, with this most recent tragic incident, experience and skill were there, showing just how quickly a change in conditions or a wrong step can lead to dire outcomes.
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