Two climbers triggered a soft slab avalanche while descending a slope under the Rescue Gully that sits above Camp 14 near the West Buttress Route on Mt. McKinley. One climber was on skis and the other on a splitboard. They were descending together, around 20-30 feet apart, when the slab fractured above them. They were both caught and carried approximately 1,500' coming to rest near the toe of the debris. The splitboarder was partially buried up to his waist and able to self rescue. The skier was buried with one arm exposed and face several inches under the snow. Both members were wearing avalanche transceivers and carried a probe and shovel.

Two mountaineering rangers in the area spotted the splitboarder on the surface of the debris and responded in minutes. After quickly assessing the splitboarder, the rangers initiated a beacon search. They found and exposed the skier within 9 minutes. "CPR was initiated but discontinued after forty minutes due to traumatic injuries and no pulse."

There were strong winds and some snow during the previous days and the slope was likely cross loaded. The slope heated up later in the day and the snow became moist by the time of the avalanche. Several other people had skied the slope previously that day. The group that triggered the avalanche had booted up through the terrain to access this area. They did not see any signs of cracking or collapsing in the snowpack.