Overview

• Alexander Pancoe, a 39-year-old American climber, died at Camp II on Mount Makalu, the world's fifth-highest peak, on May 4, 2025.
• Pancoe, who had survived a brain tumor and was battling chronic myeloid leukemia, was raising $27,838 for pediatric blood cancer research during the climb.
• He had completed an acclimatization rotation to Camp III earlier that day but fell unwell upon returning to Camp II, where teammates attempted CPR for over an hour without success.
• Investigators suspect cardiac arrest as the cause of death, pending formal postmortem confirmation, with recovery efforts led by Himalayan Guides underway.
• Pancoe was celebrated for completing the Explorer’s Grand Slam in 2019, raising nearly $500,000 for Lurie Children’s Hospital, which renamed a care station in his honor.