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Man Falls To His Death While Climbing In Grand Teton National Park

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By NPT Staff - June 25th, 2018
Teewinot Mountain, Grand Teton National Park/NPS

A 27-year-old climber died in Grand Teton National Park when he fell descending Teewinot Mountain/NPS file

A man climbing by himself in Grand Teton National Park died when he fell from Teewinot Mountain, according to a park release.

The body of 27-year-old Burak Akil was recovered Monday from the east face of the mountain. Rangers believe the man, originally from Wayne, New Jersey, but living in Jackson, Wyoming, where he worked as a registered nurse at St. John's Hospital, fell on Sunday while descending.

After Akil did not report to work Monday morning, a coworker who knew Akil had been climbing in the park called Teton Interagency Dispatch Center and went to the Lupine Meadows Trailhead to search for Akil's vehicle. The vehicle was located at the trailhead parking area.

A search was initiated with two park rangers hiking to the area at approximately 8:45 a.m.  Rangers also began to scan the peaks with spotting scopes and identified an area of interest on the east face of Teewinot Mountain  Rangers hiked to the location and confirmed the fatality at approximately 11:15 a.m. Monday.

The man's body was recovered the body via a long-line aerial operation.

Akil was climbing solo, wearing a helmet, and had appropriate climbing gear, including an ice axe and crampons, according to a park release.

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