ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Searchers found the body of Austrian climber Juergen Kanzian on Mount McKinley after using a high-powered spotting scope Thursday evening.
National Park Service rangers located Kanzian's body from a helicopter by identifying the color and style of his gear, according to Denali National Park spokesperson Maureen McLaughlin. They were unable to recover the body because of steep terrain.
Kanzian, a 41-year-old mountaineering guide in the Alps, told other climbers he intended to ski from the summit down a standard route called the West Buttress.
The helicopter search spotted Kanzian's backpack and skis near a rock outcropping by the "Football Field," a flat area near the mountain's 19,000-foot level.
