Mount McKinley Winter Attempt and Tragedy. Japanese Noburo Yamada, Teruo Saegusa and Kozo Komatsu attempted to make a winter ascent of McKinley. They were last seen on February 22 by Austrians when they were pitching camp at 17,000 feet. An aerial search in mid March revealed their bodies below Denali Pass. Yamada had climbed nine 8000-meter peaks. He had ascended Everest three times. He was also trying to make the winter ascent of the highest point of each of the continents. He had already done Everest, Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc in winter. Saegusa had ascended four 8000ers, including Everest twice. Komatsu had climbed Dhaulagiri I, II, III, IV and V between 1975 and 1982.