Police say weather conditions continue to hamper the search for three men from the United States and Canada missing on Aoraki Mt Cook.
Police say a number of climbing-related items located before the search was called off yesterday are believed to belong to the three men.
The search for Kurt Blair (56) and Carlos Romero (50) from the United States, and a Canadian national was launched yesterday after they were reported overdue.
They planned to summit Aoraki Mt Cook via Zurbriggen Ridge, having flown into Plateu Hut at 3.30pm on Saturday.
The alarm was raised when they failed to meet their 8.30am flight out yesterday, prompting a search involving the Department of Conservation (DoC) Search and Rescue Team, The Helicopter Line and police.
Three men — two from the US and one from Canada — were reported missing on Monday. (Source: 1News)
“Police have been working with the US and Canadian embassies to inform and support the families of the three men,” Inspector Vicki Walker said.
“Further information regarding the third man will not be provided until we can be sure that all necessary family notifications have been carried out.”
A US Embassy spokesperson said the consulate in Auckland was helping police communicate with and support the families involved.
“Out of respect for the families’ privacy, we are unable to provide any further detail.”
This afternoon, police revealed that during yesterday’s search, “several climbing-related items” believed to belong to the three men were found.
The search was paused shortly before 8pm on Monday, due to weather conditions on the mountain.
“Weather conditions are likely to prevent any further search activity until Thursday this week, however Police will continue to monitor and assess the conditions,” Walker said.
‘The nicest guy’
In a post to Facebook, the Silverton Avalanche School in Colorado, which Kurt Blair worked with as a guide, said New Zealand authorities told it the three climbers appeared to have suffered a fatal fall.
“We received notification from NZ authorities that the climbers appear to have taken a fatal fall from high upon the peak,” it read.
“Gear and equipment found from the party has helped SAR piece together the tragedy although remote, technical and heavily glaciated terrain coupled with deteriorating weather has prevented a recovery of the climbers.”
The post paid tribute to Blair, describing him as a “fixture” of the San Juan mountain range in Colorado who came from a “proud lineage” of mountaineers.
The post said he was a professional mountain guide who was certified in 2022 after a life of private climbing. He had two sons.
“Anyone who shared time with Kurt in the mountains knows that his calm demeanor and positive presence ran counter to the rough edges and sharp tongues so often exemplified by the hard scrabble ranks of mountain guides.
“He was the nicest guy you’d ever share a rope or trail or skin track with, and his humility, competence and polite nature made him a client and student favorite.”
‘Good conditions for climbing’ reported over the weekend
Mountain Safety Council (MSC) chief executive Mike Daisley said the weekend’s conditions were reported as being good for climbing.
He said firm conditions existed during the night and early morning but would have been “more challenging” once the day heated up and the snow softened.
“Generally speaking, summit attempts on Aoraki/Mt Cook begin during the middle of the night to make the most of the overnight freeze for easier and safer climbing,” he said.
The NZ Avalanche Advisory, operated by MSC, also reported a low avalanche danger rating on Sunday and told climbers: “Time your day to make the most of good travel conditions early in the morning before the heat of the day kicks in”.
Daisley said summiting the mountain was a technical climb that is reserved for advanced mountaineers.
“Climbing on the Main Divide and New Zealand’s 3000m peaks is a serious undertaking, with common hazards including avalanches, glacier crossings, rock falls, icy surface conditions and dynamic weather,” he said.
