Travel

Three Elite Mountain Climbers Presumed Dead in Canadian Rockies Avalanche

TRAGEDY

Swept away in an avalanche in a remote part of Canadian Rockies.

RTXAZYR_rgoccp
REUTERS/Mike Blake

An American and two Austrian elite climbers are believed to have perished when they were struck by an avalanche in a remote area of the Canadian Rockies, The Washington Post reports. Jess Roskelley, 36, of Spokane, Washington, David Lama, 28, and Hansjörg Auer, 35, both of Austria, are described as the world’s “most venerated alpine climbers.” They were scaling Howse Peak, which Parks Canada calls “a remote and an exceptionally difficult objective, with mixed rock and ice routes requiring advanced alpine mountaineering skills,” when an avalanche struck. “Based on the assessment of the scene, all three members of the party are presumed to be deceased,” Parks Canada said in a statement late Thursday.

Read it at The Washington Post

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.