Body of man who died from fall on Alaska's Mount McKinley recovered

Associated Press

Published Jun 05, 2025 • Last updated Jun 12, 2025 • 1 minute read

People stand at the Eielson Visitor Center with a view of North America's tallest peak, Denali (now known as Mount McKinley), in the background, Sept. 2, 2015, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Photo by Becky Bohrer, file /AP Photo

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Mountaineering rangers in Alaska recovered the body of a Seattle man who died after falling 3,000 feet (about 900 metres) from a climbing route on Mount McKinley.

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Alex Chiu’s body was transferred to the state medical examiner Wednesday, the Denali National Park and Preserve said in a statement.

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Two other members of the 41-year-old’s expedition on the West Buttress route to Peters Glacier reported Monday that Chiu fell at a spot called Squirrel Point. They lowered over the edge as far as possible but were unable to see or hear Chiu. He was not roped.

Ground and air search crews were unable to reach the site until early Wednesday.

An unroped French mountaineer fell to his death near the same location in 2010. His body was never recovered.

The busiest time for climbing Mount McKinley is May and June. There are currently 500 climbers on the peak, North America’s tallest.

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