The body of Austrian solo climber Matthias Rimml was found on Friday morning high on Denali.
Rimml, who was 35, was the first mountaineer to attempt North America’s highest peak this season. He was a professional climber and mountain guide.
Rimml was last heard from on April 30th when he called a friend on a satellite phone from about 18,000 feet of elevation on the West Buttress route. That friend contacted the National Park Service when Rimml didn’t call back after three days.
Mountaineering rangers and the high-altitude rescue helicopter conducted an aerial search for three days. They spotted Rimml’s body on Friday morning in an area below Denali Pass known for being especially dangerous. The National Park Service said Rimml is the thirteenth climber known to have fallen and died on that area of the mountain.
Efforts to recover Rimml’s body will not be made until the mountaineering rangers on Denali have acclimated to the high elevation.
