Nicholas Vizzini, a 29-year-old skier from Washington, died in an avalanche on June 10, while descending a slope on Mount McKinley at approximately 16,600 feet at about 6:15 pm.
The avalanche shot down to about 15,000 feet, and Vizzini was mostly buried in debris. His climbing partner, a snowboarder, sustained minor injuries and was rescued.
Mountaineering rangers responded quickly, detecting Vizzini’s beacon signal, but despite lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced dead, the National Park Service reported.
Vizzini’s body was recovered and sent to the state medical examiner’s office. His partner was scheduled to leave the mountain on June 11.
This was the second fatality of the 2025 climbing season on McKinley, following the death of Alex Chiu earlier in June from a 3,000-foot fall on the West Buttress route.
The climbing season on McKinley, which typically runs from early May to early July, currently has about 500 climbers on the mountain, as noted by park officials.
Pure Stupidity
Lives cut short. At least they died doing something that they loved, instead of drooling on their sweaters in a nursing home.