A ski mountaineer from New York suffered a devastating 3,000-foot drop to his death off America’s tallest mountain.
Alex Chiu, 41, was climbing the West Buttress of Alaska’s Mount McKinley, formerly Denali, ‘un-roped’ with two others on Monday when he fell from Squirrel Point.
Chiu fell toward the Peters Glacier, an exposed rocky 3000-foot face, where his body was found two days later, according to the Denali National Park Service.
Those with him witnessed Chiu fall, and attempted to scale as far down the face as possible but were unable to hear or see the mountaineer.
The pair then descended the route for help, but high winds and snow kept rescuers from reaching Chiu until Wednesday morning.
Chiu had recently moved back to New York City in 2023, according to an Instagram post.
The mountaineer had posted about his trip to Denali prior to the tragic accident, including packing, their flight to Alaska and cooking with friends.
A friend of Chiu’s, James Lee, told the New York Times that Chiu handled other climbs before his fateful last.
Alex Chiu, 41, was climbing the West Buttress of Mount McKinley, formerly Denali, ‘un-roped’ with two others on Monday when he fell to his death from Squirrel Point
Those with him witnessed Chiu fall, and attempted to scale as far down the face as possible but were unable to hear or see the mountaineer. The pair then descended the route for help, but high winds and snow kept rescuers from reaching Chiu until Wednesday morning
Chiu fell toward the Peters Glacier, an exposed rocky 3000-foot face, where his body was found two days later
‘Alex was a well known and valued member of the Seattle climbing community,’ Lee said.
‘He introduced many people to mountaineering and rock climbing and could be found mountaineering, skiing or rock climbing on most weekends.’
Chiu said on Instagram that he had stopped much of his climbing following the pandemic, but had started his return to the sport.
‘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,’ he wrote.
His latest post on May 19 was flooded with comments of love and remembrance.
One wrote: ‘My heart is broken. You will be so missed Alex. You are such a light. You touched every single person you encountered.’
‘Thanks for being such an amazing light and energy Alex. You were always so positive and supportive. Will miss you bud,’ another said.
One commenter wrote: ‘One of the most adventurous, sweet, passionate souls to ever grace the world of extreme sports. Alex was bold and brave, with the kindest heart- full of love for friends, family, and adventure.’
Chiu wrote on his last post: ‘I had become an Alpinist, a mountain climber specializing in high and difficult ascents. I slowly realized I was living my dream every single weekend, I could do this every single weekend…’
