Winston Chu Identified After Fatal Mount Whitney Fall

Winston Chu, a 49-year-old Santa Clara man, was identified as the hiker who died on Mount Whitney’s Mountaineer’s Route. The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office said Chu died from multiple traumatic injuries after a fall. Motel staff reported him missing on Oct. 19 after he failed to check out, and his vehicle was found the next day at Whitney Portal; a helicopter located his body along the route on Oct. 20. Snow and hazardous weather delayed recovery until Oct. 25, when search-and-rescue personnel reached the site at about 13,600 feet.