2 Climbers Missing in Alaska’s Denali National Park Are Presumed Dead, Officials Say

Clouds partially obscure Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America, as seen from inside Denali National Park, Alaska, on Sept. 22, 2022. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Two climbers last heard from as they prepared to scale a peak in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve last week are believed dead, the park said Thursday.

Leaders of the search efforts “have concluded that survival is outside the window of possibility,” citing the rocky terrain, the climbers’ limited supplies, temperatures dipping as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 Celsius) overnight and the time that has passed since the men were last heard from, according to a statement from the park.