Search Called Off For Utah Climbers Kyle Dempster And Scott Adamson, Who Went Missing In Pakistan
The families of two Utah-based climbers have decided to call off the search for them after the duo failed to return to their base camp almost 10 days after they were supposed to.
The two men, Kyle Dempster, 33, and Scott Adamson, 34, were extremely accomplished and well-known climbers from Utah who were attempting to climb an extremely difficult mountain peak in northern Pakistan. Known as the Ogre II, this 23,000-foot mountain is considered amongst the most difficult mountains on the planet to climb. According to the Washington Post, Dempster and Adamson began their extremely treacherous ascent to the peak on August 21 and were to complete the ascent and descent in five days. In effect, they were supposed to reach a designated base camp by August 26. The duo, however, were unable to make it, prompting rescuers to search for them.
Families call off search for US climbers missing in Pakistan https://t.co/R0Xqaahnaq
— The Guardian (@guardian) September 4, 2016
Kyle Dempster and Scott Adamson had arrived in Pakistan back in July for a two-month long expedition to the northern mountain ranges of the country known to be home to some of the world’s tallest and most difficult mountains to climb. This also includes the world’s second highest peak, next to Mt. Everest, the K2, which towers over everything else nearby with a height of 8,611 meters (28,251 feet).
Both men were trying to complete an extremely difficult climb that had never been done before. They were attempting to scale the Ogre II from its north face. The last time anyone had climbed the Ogre II was in 1986 when a Korean team reached the top. However, they used a less difficult route to reach the peak.
The news of both the men missing was first announced by the Alpine Club of Pakistan last Thursday. They added that a massive search operation had started. However, the search operations were impeded by stormy weather conditions in the region.
Three days later, Jonathan Thesenga, a representative for one of the climber’s sponsors, confirmed to the media that the families of both the men made the “extremely difficult decision” to call off the search since the chances of finding them both alive have diminished. The decision to call the search off was also based on the continuously stormy weather that was prevalent in the area at the time. Other team members and experts called off the search after everyone agreed on the fact that finding the two men safe was extremely slim.
Families call off search for two US climbers missing in Pakistan https://t.co/t0piDOlrAZ pic.twitter.com/9HA4OToulp
— STV News (@STVNews) September 4, 2016
Other team members of the expedition confirmed that they were helped by members of the Pakistani Army, who used their helicopters to look for the Kyle and Scott. The choppers made several visits to the area where the duo was last seen but were unable to locate them. They did, however, add that owing to poor weather, the chopper missions could only be started by Saturday.
Describing the incidents before the ascent, Thesenga added that the last sign anyone saw of the two men were the lights from their headlamps, which were spotted by their cook who was awaiting their return to the base camp. The cook added that going by the location where the lights were seen, both of them had made it halfway up the peak. This was on the second day of the climb. The weather took a turn for the worse starting on the third day, and the dipping temperatures and strong winds made the climb more difficult.
The duo was considered to be among the best alpinists of their generation, with Dempster being a two-time winner of the Piolets d’Or, a coveted climbing award. In fact, the last time he won this award was for a climb he had performed in the same region back in 2013.
[Image via GoFundMe]
