Experienced climber dies after 3,000-foot plummet from North America's highest peak

A Seattle man died after falling 3,000 feet from a climbing route at Denali National Park in Alaska, the National Park Service said Wednesday.

Alex Chiu, 41, was ascending the West Buttress route of Mount McKinley on Monday, June 2, one of the park’s most frequently climbed routes, while not attached to a rope, the agency said in a statement. 

He was ski mountaineering, which involves ascending and descending the route with skis. He was joined by two others in his expedition to conquer North America's highest peak.