Tragic Fall: Seasoned Climber Killed in 3,000-Foot Drop from North America's Tallest Peak
Seattle man Alex Chiu tragically dies after falling 3,000 feet while ski mountaineering on Alaska's Denali.
A Seattle man has died in a tragic fall while attempting to climb Mount McKinley, also known as Denali, in Alaska’s Denali National Park. Alex Chiu, 41, was ascending the challenging West Buttress route—one of the most popular yet perilous paths to North America’s highest summit—when he fell an estimated 3,000 feet on Monday, June 2.
According to officials, Chiu was undertaking the climb as a ski mountaineer, a discipline that involves both ascending and descending steep, icy terrain with skis. He was part of a three-person expedition but was not attached to a safety rope at the time of the fall. The tragic accident was witnessed by his two climbing partners, who reported seeing him plunge onto the mountain’s rocky, ice-laden face. Despite risking their own safety to descend and search for him, they were unable to locate any sign of Chiu after the fall.
The accident prompted an urgent call for help as his team trekked down to Camp 1, situated at approximately 7,800 feet above sea level. However, rescue operations were severely hampered by adverse weather conditions, including high winds and heavy snowfall. It was not until Wednesday—two days later—when a break in the weather allowed a helicopter with two park rangers to deploy from Talkeetna. Chiu’s body was eventually located and subsequently transferred to the Alaska State Medical Examiner for official determination of cause of death.
Chiu was well-known within alpine and technology circles. He worked as an aerospace engineer for the Federal Aviation Administration and formerly as a software engineer at Boeing. His passions extended far beyond his professional life; on social media, he described himself as a storyteller, traveler, scuba diver, rock climber, alpinist, and marathon runner. “When I am in the mountains, I realize I was at my best. I was smart, witty, passionate, and bold,” Chiu wrote on his Instagram account. He shared that mountain climbing provided an escape from his 9-to-5 routine in Seattle, allowing him to teach others and share his love for wild places.
The Denali spring climbing season runs from mid-May to mid-June, attracting hundreds of climbers annually. As of this week, park officials estimate nearly 500 climbers are currently on the mountain. Chiu’s fall is the latest in a string of fatal accidents on Denali’s treacherous slopes. In April, a climber from New York fell about 1,000 feet to his death on Mount Johnson, and the park cited a similar incident in 2010, when an unroped French mountaineer disappeared into the depths of the Peters Glacier—his body never recovered.
Chiu’s story is one of skill, passion, and the inherent risks associated with mountaineering at high altitudes. In his final post before departing for Alaska, he reflected on the impact of the pandemic pausing his goals and his determination to pursue dreams without delay. “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 loss is deeply felt by both the climbing community and those inspired by his adventurous spirit.
