Search for climbers missing on Aoraki Mt Cook suspended, all three thought by police to be dead

Friday, 6 December 2024

Police have suspended a search for three men missing on Aoraki Mt Cook, five days after they were meant to be flown off the mountain.

More items were found on Friday, after a helicopter was sent up to look for the men, but it’s thought the climbers have not survived a fall.

A memorial service will take place for Kurt Blair in Colorado, United States today.

Police have found more items belonging to three climbers missing on Aoraki Mt Cook, along with footprints, and say they do not believe the men have survived a fall.

Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker said police had used a helicopter and drones on Friday to search the area where other items were found on Monday and had recovered a top and energy gels. Walker said all items had been retrieved.

The search was now suspended, Walker said in a briefing to media in Timaru on Friday afternoon.

“However, we remain poised to reactivate our search if we receive fresh information or credible reports or sightings, especially from the climbing community,” Walker said.

“We do not believe that the men have survived. We believe they have taken a fall.”

Americans Kurt Blair, 56 and Carlos Romero, 50 and a Canadian climber whose family have asked not to be named, have now been missing for four days after they failed to rendezvous with a flight on Monday morning.

Police had spoken to the climbers families, “and as you would expect it’s not the phone call that they wanted to receive”, Walker said. They were “understandably devastated”.

While police could not confirm the property retrieved from the mountain belonged to the men, they believed that it did.

“This afternoon a two-person drone team was deployed by a helicopter to a safe area on the mountain. Based on the footage from the drone we can see evidence where the climbers had begun to traverse the slopes beneath the Zurbriggen Ridge,” Walker said.

“This evidence includes footprints and the items we mentioned that we have retrieved.”

As she understood it, the climbers had been making their way on the snow slope under the ridge, and where intending to cross a face. “That’s where we believe they have taken that fall,” Walker said.

“We’ve got footprints at the beginning, but nothing that’s continued on.” She was not aware of any signs of an avalanche.

The climbing season at Aoraki Mt Cook would last for another two or three weeks, and it was possible climbers might see items of interest in that time, Walker said.

They also typically took high quality photography equipment to the summit and may take photographs, or find items, that could be used to reassess any potential recovery.

The feasibility of any recovery would be carefully considered and managed. It would depend on the information received.

“We know that finding the men will be what the family wants,” Walker said.

“We are now formally advising the coroner of our belief that the climbers did not survive this fall.”

Search and rescue staff had hoped to get up the mountain on Thursday but wind conditions meant flying was not safe.

Walker said there were favourable weather conditions on Friday and a helicopter was sent up at first light.

Conditions on Friday had enabled drone operators to be put in a safe zone on the mountain.

“We were actually very lucky. The weather is going to close in this afternoon, but we were afforded a window of opportunity to operate in safely.”

“For most of the week the weather has limited our ability to repeat the search that we conducted on day one. Our search teams have been hampered ongoing treacherous alpine conditions, it has been too windy for helicopters, and simply too dangerous to put teams into this environment.

“Even if it was safe to put teams on the ground, we would take around a day to reach the area of interest. This is the frustrating situation that we have been faced with.”

Walker said police had not received any communication from the climbing party, and did not know if they were wearing emergency locator beacons.

Before bad weather closed in on Monday, searchers found climbing items believed to belong to the trio.

As the week has progressed hopes have faded for the trio, leading colleagues and family to organise a memorial service in Colorado for Kurt Blair today (US time).

Do you know more? Email nadine.roberts@stuff.co.nz

Blair has links to New Zealand having lived here for a year in his youth. According to a friend he attended Burnside High School.

According to a blog written by Luke Mehall that has been shared online, Blair talked about his adventures in New Zealand that he shared with sister Katrina.

It’s understood the trio flew to Plateau Hut around 3.30pm on Saturday and planned to summit on Sunday before arriving back at a pre planned pick up zone on Monday.

When they didn’t arrive, the alarm was raised.

Blair and Romero are highly experienced mountain guides and both have climbed all over the world.

California based SWS Mountain Guides paid tribute to Romero on Wednesday. They said he was an integral part of their company.

“Kique, a beloved guide, educator and mentor was with two other climbers when their group encountered severe conditions.”

“Our hearts are with the climbers families, friends and the climbing community as we await further updates. We continue to hope for clarity and hold Kique close in our thoughts,” they said.

Romero previously led expeditions to Japan, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.

Born in Venezuela Romero began his climbing career in the Andes before studying in Switzerland and California. He worked for 15 years as a programme manager at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Blair’s colleague, Nate Disser from San Juan Mountain Guides, told Stuff the father of two worked for their company for over a decade.

Although he wasn’t aware Blair was climbing Aoraki Mt Cook, Disser said all climbers understood how technically difficult the mountain could be.

“We do know it does catch out even the most experienced climbers.”

Disser said New Zealand authorities contacted him to see if Blair had used the same messaging systems they use when guiding but he was unable to help.

He said Blair was “highly professional, very mindful” and a thoughtful mountain guide and climber.

“He was beloved by his students and the clients that he guided and we certainly had a high degree of respect for not only his skill and acumen but also as a person,” he said.

Disser said news of Blair had already had a huge impact on the small local community he was a part of and the San Juan guiding family.

“We’re a tight group of individuals, guides and mountain practitioners that rely on each other and care for each other very deeply - not only in our work but in our personal lives. So it impacts on us very deeply.”