A search for three North American climbers missing on New Zealand’s highest peak, Aoraki-Mount Cook, has been officially called off, with authorities now presuming them dead.
The climbers—two Americans, Kurt Blair (56) and Carlos Romero (50), along with an unnamed Canadian—had been missing since late last week. They were last seen climbing Mount Cook, which stands at 12,300 feet in the Southern Alps.
Police investigators stated that, based on evidence and the extreme conditions, the climbers are believed to have fallen while attempting the ascent. “We do not believe that the men have survived. We believe they have taken a fall,” said Vicki Walker, lead police investigator.
The search began after the climbers failed to return to basecamp for their scheduled departure. They had arrived at Mount Cook over a week ago. Search teams located personal items believed to belong to the missing climbers but were forced to halt the operation due to dangerous weather conditions.
“We’ve been dealing with treacherous alpine conditions,” Walker explained. “The weather has been too severe for helicopters to operate, and it’s been too dangerous to send teams into the field.”
Both of the American climbers were experienced professionals, licensed mountain guides registered with the American Mountain Guides Association. Despite their expertise, the conditions on the mountain proved too perilous for rescue efforts to continue.
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