Exposure and altitude-related sickness likely contributed to the death of a climber on Denali last week/NPS file

A climber who died high on Denali in Denali National Park while awaiting a rescue likely died from exposure and altitude-related illness, according to the National Park Service.

Zulkifli Bin Yusof, 36, from Malaysia, died after "enduring multiple days with minimal survivel gear in a snow cave at 19,600 feet on North America's highest mountain, which rises to 20,310 feet, a park release said. His remains were recovered Friday via short-haul by the park’s high altitude helicopter pilot, with an NPS mountaineering patrol providing ground support.  

Yusof’s two partners survived the expedition. One partner, age 48, was evacuated from 17,200 feet the night of May 28, and the other, age 47, was rescued from 19,600 feet last Friday morning. Both were recuperating from cold injuries in an Anchorage hospital. 

The trio's ordeal began around 1 a.m. local time last Tuesday when they sent an SOS message from their InReach satellite communication device, saying they had summited Denali but were hypothermic and unable to descend. One climber did manage to make his way down to the "high camp" at 17,200 feet, while the other two, assisted by an experienced expedition guide on the upper mountain, built a snow cave for shelter on a somewhat flat area known as the "Football Field."

When clouds moved back in late Tuesday night, the guide was forced to return to the 17,200-foot high camp for his own safety and for the safety of his team. 

The poor weather conditions prevented park rangers from reaching the Football Field until early Friday.

Memorial Day weekend marked the start of the busiest two weeks of the Denali mountaineering season. One climber died last month in a fall while trying to reach the summit of Denali via the West Buttress route.