Three renowned mountain climbers are presumed dead after an avalanche in Alberta’s Banff National Park, Canadian officials said Thursday.
Outdoor apparel company The North Face said that American Jess Roskelley and Austrians David Lama and Hansjorg Auer disappeared while attempting to climb the east face of Howse Peak on the Icefields Parkway. They were reported overdue Wednesday.
“They are missing, and local search and rescue has assumed the worst,” North Face said in a statement.
Roskelley climbed Mount Everest in 2003 at age 20. At the time he was the youngest American to climb the world’s highest peak. The North Face says it is doing what it can to support the climbers’ families and friends. Parks Canada said the three men were attempting to climb the east face of Howse Peak on the Icefields Parkway Wednesday.
Officials say recovery efforts are on hold because of a continued risk of avalanches. Parks Canada says safety specialists immediately responded by air and observed signs of multiple avalanches and debris containing climbing equipment.
“Parks Canada extends its sincerest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the mountaineers,” Parks Canada said in a statement.