Czech Republic man dies while skiing on Alaska mountain

TALKEETNA — A mountaineer from the Czech Republic is dead after an estimated 1,500-foot fall on Denali Mountain.

Pavel Michut, 45, was skiing Messner Couloir when he fell Saturday, the National Park Service said.

Nearby climbers found his body within 10 minutes.

The body will be flown by helicopter to the Alaska State Medical Examiner once the weather is safe.

The park service says Messner Couloir is a steep 5,000-foot-long gully that connects the 14,000-foot basin and the upper mountain at 19,000 feet, KTUU reported (http://bit.ly/22tbs6n.)

National Park Service spokeswoman Maureen Gualtieri told KTUU that winds at Messner Couloir were gusting at about 40 mph and the snow was very windblown and crusty.

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