Man who died at Banff's Polar Circus Ice Climb identified by friends; RCMP deem death accidental

Zach Milligan is described as an exceptional athlete who lived for many years in the Yosemite region in California, who later moved to Bozeman, Mont. (Photo courtesy Chris Van Leuven)

CTV News has learned more about a man who died while ice climbing at a popular spot north of Lake Louise.

Friends and Gripped Climbing Magazine have identified him as Zach Milligan, an accomplished climber known for many feats.

Milligan is described as an exceptional athlete who lived for many years in the Yosemite region in California, who later moved to Bozeman, Mont.

The RCMP say they recovered the body of a 42-year-old man from the Polar Circus area on Cirrus Mountain.

An abandoned car in the parking lot was reported to Parks Canada on Friday night.

A drone was used to locate the body the next morning, and a helicopter removed his remains.

Milligan was well-known in the Yosemite climbing community.

He gained notoriety when he and another man became the first to ski down the "Half Dome" to the valley floor in Yosemite National Park in 2021.

A long-time friend who wrote about Milligan's exploits for several publications spoke to CTV News on Monday night.

"He was not like anyone I ever met. He was really, really – he wasn't really very, per se, nice. He was very direct, really kind of insulting, yet I kind of loved him more for it. It was really fun to climb with," said Chris Van Leuven.

"He was very, very intelligent, very driven. Just lived this life the way he wanted.

"He was really wired differently. I mean, I like climbing a lot. But boy, he was at a different level. I think he did the best when he was maybe without a rope."

Van Leuven has written that solo climbing for Milligan was like "moving meditation."

The RCMP say the death has been deemed accidental.