Michiel Vanderbeek Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

Sep 22, 2023

Michiel

Vanderbeek

59

33

74 inches

180 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the vast and unforgiving wilderness of Denali National Park, Alaska, 33-year-old Michiel "Mike" Adriaan Vanderbeek, a skilled climbing guide and National Park Service volunteer, was last seen on May 24, 1998. Vanderbeek, an accomplished outdoorsman from Talkeetna, Alaska, was on patrol on the popular West Buttress route of Mount McKinley, North America's highest peak. Near the 17,200-foot High Camp, he witnessed a Canadian climber, Daniel Raworth, fall from the route toward the Peters Glacier. Vanderbeek immediately reported the incident and began a descent to aid the fallen climber, a decision that would tragically lead to his own disappearance. The circumstances surrounding Vanderbeek's disappearance are intertwined with the attempted rescue of another climber. While descending to reach Raworth, Vanderbeek himself fell and was never seen again. The area where the incident occurred, known as Washburn's Thumb, is notoriously steep and treacherous. Search and rescue teams faced extreme weather conditions, including whiteout conditions and high winds, which hampered their efforts from the outset. Despite the challenging weather, teams were able to locate Raworth, who was unfortunately found deceased. Vanderbeek's pack was discovered near Raworth's body, but there was no other trace of him. The decision for Vanderbeek and his climbing partner to descend unroped in high winds with limited visibility was identified as a major contributing factor to the accident. Intensive search efforts were launched, involving National Park Service personnel, volunteers, and emergency hires. For days, ground crews scoured the area where Vanderbeek was believed to have fallen, and air searches were conducted when weather permitted. Searchers found some of his climbing equipment, including a crampon and his face mask, but Vanderbeek remained missing. After three days of exhaustive searching yielded no further clues, the ground search was officially called off, though air searches continued. Michiel Vanderbeek is presumed to have fallen into a bergschrund or a crevasse on the Peters Glacier and became the first Denali rescuer to die in the line of duty. The incident serves as a somber reminder of the inherent dangers of mountaineering and the selflessness of those who risk their lives to help others in peril. A memorial fund, The Mike Vanderbeek Alaska Outdoor Scholarship Fund, was established in his honor to provide financial aid to students pursuing outdoor careers.

May 24, 1998

Denali

Alaska

Denali Borough

No

77612

National Park Service

Denali Park

Alaska

Denali Borough

99755

PO Box 9, Alaska

9076839555

Federal

Law Enforcement

Alaska State Troopers

na

Brown

Blue

Blue

No

06/29/2026