A search has been called off for two American climbers who went missing while attempting to scale one of the highest peaks in northern Pakistan, a family spokesman said. Pakistan is popular with mountaineers as it rivals Nepal for the number of peaks over 7,000 metres.
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Pakistan has always been a draw for foreign climbers lured by some of the most spectacular mountains on Earth, including the savage K2, the world’s second highest peak.
LEBANON, N.H. -(BUSINESS WIRE)-Travel risk and crisis management firm Global Rescue is leading rescue efforts for two United States climbers missing in Pakistan.
“It’s a remote area in Pakistan, not like you see with teams of people in the Himalayas”, said Thesenga.
The news of both the men missing was first announced by the Alpine Club of Pakistan last Thursday.
The family had raised almost $200,000 for the search on Go Fund Me.
Continuing stormy weather that made the search risky for rescuers, combined with no sign of the missing men, prompted the family’s decision, CBS affiliate KUTV in Salt Lake City reported.
“When the extensive search did not yield any visible signs, they made the decision that it would not be wise to risk (this) risky search mission with helicopters”.
A weather window opening up Saturday – the first break in the weather in 10 days – will allow Pakistani military helicopters to join the search, Jonathan Thesenga, a family spokesperson for Dempster, said in a statement.
Search team members say the chances of finding any sign of them are extremely slim.
Dempster and Adamson began their ascent of the north face of Ogre-II peak on August 21. Their cook, at base camp, spotted their head lamps about halfway up the peak on the second day.
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“They wanted to finish what they started, they knew they made mistakes last year and would not make them this year”, said Thesenga to CBS affiliate KUTV. The weather took a turn for the worse starting on the third day, and the dipping temperatures and strong winds made the climb more hard. He last won in 2013 for a climb he completed in the same area in Pakistan.
