Authorities say a skier died after being caught in an avalanche on North America’s tallest peak, Mount McKinley in Alaska.

Alex Chiu, 41, was ascending Mount McKinley's West Buttress climbing route with two others on Monday when he fell at a spot known as Squirrel Point, according to park officials.

Nicholas Vizzini, 29, of Washington state and his climbing partner, a snowboarder, triggered the avalanche high on the peak Tuesday while descending a slope.