Rescue Gully on Denali, where an avalanche took place on June 10, 2025. Washington state resident Nicholas Vizzini, 29, was confirmed dead after he and his climbing partner triggered the avalanche while descending the slope. Photo: NPS
A skier has died after being caught in an avalanche on Alaska’s Denali, also known as Mt. McKinley. It’s the second death on Denali this season, North America’s tallest peak at 20,310 feet.
The National Parks Service released a statement on Wednesday announcing the news, stating that the soft slab avalanche occurred on Tuesday below the Rescue Gully above Camp 14 on the West Buttress Route.
The victim, 29-year-old Nicholas Vizzini from Washington, triggered the avalanche with his climbing partner, a snowboarder, while they were descending the slope. Rescue Gully starts at 17,200 feet and the top of the avalanche began around 16,600 feet, running down to approximately 15,000 feet, NPS says.
“Two mountaineering rangers on an acclimatization climb spotted the partner on the surface of the avalanche debris and were able to respond within minutes. After a quick assessment of the partner, a beacon search was initiated and a signal acquired. During the search, Vizzini was visually located and found to be mostly buried in the debris. The rangers immediately began digging to establish an airway. CPR was initiated but discontinued after forty minutes due to traumatic injuries and no pulse,” the report reads. “After recovery, rangers flew the body to Talkeetna, where they transferred it to the state medical examiner. Vizzini’s partner sustained minor injuries and is scheduled to fly off the mountain today.”
It was only a week ago that a 41-year-old ski mountaineer was killed on the West Buttress. Alex Chiu of Seattle, Washington, fell 3,000 feet to his death on June 3, 2025. His partners attempted to find him after the fall, but wasn’t able to do so, despite lowering over the edge as far as possible. Rescuers were then deterred by high winds and snow during the ensuing search, and Chiu’s body was found the following day.
