Inyo Sheriff finds climber's body on Mt. Whitney after snow delay

The Inyo Sheriff's Office confirmed the recovery of a climber's body on Mt. Whitney's Mountaineer's Route after a storm delayed the search. The body was found at 13,600 feet, covered in snow, following a report from a motel employee about a guest who had missed checkout and left his belongings behind. The man had told the staff he was planning to hike in the area, but deputies had limited information about his route and could not reach him using Rapid Deploy, a special messaging system. A CHP helicopter located the climber later in the day, but a storm temporarily delayed the recovery. Once conditions improved, a search-and-rescue team retrieved the body from the snow-covered remains.

The Into County coroner’s office is handling the identification, but the climber has not yet been named. The Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

At 14,505 feet, Mt. Whitney is the tallest mountain in the continental United States. This year has already seen at least two hiking deaths on the mountain, including a Fresno contractor who died while trying to summit it earlier this month, and an unidentified hiker found on the north face in January.

Last December, the body of a 21-year-old hiker was found on Mt. Whitney, and another hiker fell to their death in October 2025 after early snows hit the mountain. Both were found on the difficult 99 Switchbacks portion of the route.