A missing climber was found dead on Alaska's Denali, North America's tallest peak, on Monday, after attempting a solo summit, officials said.
Denali National Park and Preserve said rangers were contacted Sunday by a family member who hadn't heard from the climber in several days and became concerned. The climber had previously been communicating with family via an InReach satellite communication device.
Park mountaineering rangers who were patrolling the upper mountain "quickly" located the climber's empty tent on top of a 16,200-foot ridge. Rangers learned another climbing team had last seen the climber on Wednesday, May 15, traversing from the 17,200-foot plateau to Denali Pass at 18,200 feet.
Rangers at the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station accessed the climber's InReach account to analyze the satellite location data, and found a probable location for the climber at 17,000 feet on the West Buttress Route. The device had not been charged since Thursday, May 16, leading rangers to suspect the climber fell that day.
On Monday, a mountaineering patrol at the 17,200-foot camp searched the probable fall location using a spotting scope, and located the climber. The scene and the body were secured in place by rangers, who returned to camp.
Park officials said recovery efforts will proceed when weather conditions allow. The identity of the climber was not publicly released, pending family notifications.
Park officials said at least 14 climbers, including the solo climber, have died in falls along the "treacherous" West Buttress Route since 1980. There are currently 352 climbers on Denali's West Buttress Route, though the majority are lower on the mountain because the climbing season just started in early May.
--with reporting by TMX.
