Professional alpine climber Michael Gardner has died at age 32 following a fall.

Michael Gardner, a Colorado-based ski alpinist and professional climber, tragically lost his life in an accident while attempting to climb Nepal’s Jannu East mountain on October 8, 2024.

Colorado skier Michael Gardner, 32, died Monday while climbing the Jannu East mountain in Nepal alongside longtime climbing partner Sam Hennessey.

Michael Gardner died in a fall on Jannu East (7,468m), in Nepal’s Kangchenjunga region, on October 7. The 32-year-old was attempting a new route with longtime friend and climbing partner Sam Hennessey up the imposing North Face,

Pioneering big mountain skier, mountain guide, and climber Michael Gardner was killed while attempting to climb one of Nepal’s last unclimbed peaks.

Michael Gardner—a professional alpine-climber who scaled mountains in Denali, Alaska and Nepal—died from a fall while descending Nepal's Jannu East mountain on Oct. 7. He was 32.