Body of Ski Mountaineer Killed in Fall on North America’s Tallest Peak Recovered

When Chiu first fell from a location known as Squirrel Point, the other two members of his party lowered themselves over the edge as far as possible but didn't see or hear him, the National Park Service said, adding that Chiu was un-roped at the time of the fall.

Then, Chiu’s partners climbed down the West Buttress route for additional help, eventually reaching Camp 1, where they were taken care of by a ranger team.

Inclement weather, which included high wind and snow, prevented access to the accident site until the early hours of Wednesday morning when two mountaineering rangers were able to depart Talkeetna, Alaska for a helicopter search to locate and recover his body.

After the recovery mission, the rangers returned to the Denali National Park and Preserve headquarters. From there, Chiu’s body was transferred to the state medical examiner.

According to the National Park Service, the West Buttress route is the least technical way to climb Denali. In recent decades, the West Buttress has been the route of choice for over 90% of climbers. As of Wednesday, the National Park Service said there were 500 climbers on Denali.

Regardless of its popularity, though, Denali, as the tallest mountain in North America, presents climbers with a dangerous and dynamic high-alpine environment. 

Challenges associated with the West Buttress route include crevasses, steep ice, and exposed ice-covered ridges, according to the National Park Service.

In 2024, the National Park Service said that at least 14 people have died in falls since 1980 on the West Buttress route’s treacherous upper section. An un-roped French mountaineer fell and died near the same location as Chiu in 2010, the National Park Service said. His body wasn’t recovered.