Overview
- Alex Pancoe, a celebrated climber and cancer survivor, died on May 4, 2025, at Camp II on Mount Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak, during a fundraising expedition for pediatric cancer research.
- The cause of death is suspected to be cardiac arrest, though confirmation awaits a postmortem examination, according to expedition organizers Himalayan Guides.
- Pancoe aimed to raise $27,838 for Lurie Children’s Hospital, matching the height of Mount Makalu in feet, as part of his lifelong advocacy for cancer research and treatment.
- The accomplished mountaineer completed the Explorers Grand Slam in 2019, becoming one of only 75 people globally to achieve the feat, while raising over $500,000 for charity.
- Efforts are underway to retrieve Pancoe’s body from the remote high-altitude Camp II, with his family and the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu already informed of his passing.