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A Fresno contractor who appeared on an HGTV show died while hiking California’s highest peak, authorities said.
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Kalem Peter Kazarian, 52, of Fowler, was hiking Mount Whitney in Sequoia National Park, the Tulare County Coroner’s Office confirmed.
National Park Service personnel located Kazarian’s body in the Mount Whitney area on Sunday, Oct. 4, according to Holly Streit, public affairs specialist at Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.
“The body was recovered and removed from the wilderness the following day, as safe conditions allowed,” Streit said.
The National Park Service notified the Tulare County Coroner’s Office about Kazarian’s death on Monday, Oct. 5, a representative told The Fresno Bee via phone on Thursday, Oct. 8.
Who was Fresno man who died hiking Mount Whitney?
Kalem Kazarian was the owner of Kazarian Custom Homes in Fresno.
He also served as the president of Fresno-based Impact Construction, according to the company’s website.
In addition to his work as a contractor, Kazarian helped build homes for charities such asYerevan for Habitat for Humanity Armenia, an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity, Fresno radio station KMJ-FM previously reported.
He found national attention after appearing alongside hosts Koko and Nick Chandler in the 2019 pilot episode of HGTV’s “Go Big or Go Home.”
According to KMJ-FM Kazarian is survived by his wife, Jonelle, and their three children, Judi, Peter, and Frank.
Friends and family members expressed shock and sorrow over Kalem Kazarian’s death on social media.
“Our hearts are broken with you at the news of your tragic loss,” one Facebook user, Tamara Shamlian, wrote in a comment on a Tuesday, Oct. 6, Facebook post by Jonelle Garo Kazarian. “We are so so sorry. Our church family is shaken.”
“We are so saddened and shocked to hear of this loss,” another Facebook poster, Susanne Meabon Bendoraitis, wrote. “Both you and Kalem have been such a blessing to us …”
Other people shared their condolences via an online obituary created by Fresno’s Yost & Webb Funeral Home.
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“Kalem was a great person to know,” Tim Cavagnaro wrote, noting that Kazarian’s company built his home. “He was a pleasure to work with. Great loss for us all. Deepest sympathy to family and his colleagues.”
Why did Kalem Kazarian die?
As of Thursday, authorities had yet to determine what caused Kazarian’s death, or exactly where he died.
The Tulare County Coroner’s Office representative told The Bee that the cause of death will be established through pathology work scheduled for next week, when a pathologist returns to the office.
What is Mount Whitney? Where is it?
With an elevation of 14,505 feet, Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, according to the National Park Service.
The mountain, which lies on the boundary of Sequoia National Park and Inyo National Forest, is the “most frequently climbed mountain peak in the Sierra Nevada,” the park service said.
Accoring to popular hiking website AllTrails, it takes at least 13.5 hours to hike the Mount Whitney Trail, a “strenuous out-and-back trail” that “leads past rocky switchbacks, sheer cliffs, and flowing waterfalls” to the summit. The 22.1-mile route has an elevation gain of 6,564 feet.
“Reaching the summit of Whitney is an incredible accomplishment, but the journey is sure to challenge even the fittest of hikers, AllTrails said.
How many people have died on California’s highest peak?
In the past year, a number of people have died while hiking Mount Whitney.
In October 2025, a hiker died after falling from an icy trail in the area known as 99 Switchbacks and plunging over a cliff, The Bee previously reported.
Hiker Joseph Brambila went missing in November while attempting to summit Mount Whitney solo in celebration of his 21st birthday, The Bee previously reported.
Brambila’s body was recovered roughly a month later in the 99 Switchbacks area, according to the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office.
Another hiker died trying to summit Mount Whitney solo in January after their partner turned back, according to Inyo County Search and Rescue.
This story was originally published October 9, 2026 at 7:00 AM with the headline “Fresno County contractor dies while hiking Mount Whitney: ‘Great loss for us all’.”
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