Solo climber found dead on Mount Denali after not checking in with family, rangers say

A solo climber died in a fall on Mount Denali after not checking in with family, National Park Service rangers reported.

Rangers found the climber’s body Monday, May 20, on the West Buttress route of the Alaska peak, Denali National Park and Preserve officials said in a news release.

A family member notified authorities after the climber, who had been checking in via an InReach communication device, failed to contact them for several days, rangers said.

“Mountaineering rangers patrolling the upper mountain quickly located the climber’s empty tent at the top of the 16,200-foot ridge,” the release said.

Other climbers reported seeing the missing climber higher on the mountain last week, rangers said.

Satellite information from the climber’s InReach suggested a possible location at 17,000 feet up the mountain, rangers said. The device’s location had not changed since Thursday, May 16.

Mountaineering rangers checking the area found the climber’s body, which could not be recovered, officials said. It will be recovered when the weather clears.

The climber’s name has not been released pending notification of their family, rangers said.

At 20,310-foot-high, Mount Denali, also known as Mount McKinley, is North America’s highest peak, National Geographic said.

Fourteen people have died climbing the West Buttress route since 1980, rangers said.

In 2022, more than 427,000 people visited Denali National Park and Preserve, which covers more than 6 million acres in Alaska, according to the park.

This story was originally published May 21, 2024 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Solo climber found dead on Mount Denali after not checking in with family, rangers say."