(KRON) — Three mountain climbers from the U.S. and Canada are missing after they failed to return from a planned ascent of New Zealand’s highest peak known as Mount Cook.
One of the climbers is from the Bay Area: Livermore. KRON4 was told he is a well-known guide in the climbing community. He is described as a beloved guide, educator and mentor.
Carlos Romero is one of the three climbers reported missing after they failed to return from their planned summit of New Zealand’s highest peak Aoraki.
Friends and family knew Romero as “Kique.”
“Kique just brought a huge amount of experience in the background in climbing and technical ability to the table,” Chief Media Officer SWS Mountain Guides Caleb Burns said.
SWS Mountain Guides is based in Mount Shasta where Romero spent 10 years as a technical director.
The company notified the climbing community about the news this week.
“Guests loved him, co-guides loved him,” Burns said. “He was our technical director so he was that sort of person that he would bring everybody else around him up. He achieved everything that he did in climbing as far as certifications and education not just for himself but really to benefit for those around him.”
Burns says Romero is also a certified international alpine guide, which allowed him to lead expeditions in other countries.
He says Romero was excited about his trip to New Zealand with his friend Kurt Blair from Colorado who is also a certified alpine guide and a third climber from Canada whose name has not yet been released.
“Kurt and Kique were really good friends as well as both amazing technical guides so part of his excitement was not just the objective they were going for, but also who he was going with,” Burns said.
Aoraki, also known as Mount Cook, is about 12,000 feet high and is part of the southern Alps.
The peak is popular among experienced climbers. Its terrain is technically difficult due to crevasses, avalanche risk, changeable weather, and glacier movement.
According to New Zealand police, the men flew to a hut partway up the mountain on Saturday to begin their ascent and were reported missing on Monday when they did not arrive to meet their prearranged transport after the climb.
Hours later, searchers found several climbing-related items believed to belong to the men, but no sign of them.
Burns says friends and loved ones are taking it day by day as they wait for updates.
“The work, but really the guiding community in both individuals Kurt and Kique, it looks like we lost something really special not just technically proficient guides but amazing humans that were really good at their craft but dedicated to bringing everyone else with them in that craft as well,” Burns said.
Search efforts did not resume Tuesday due to weather conditions on Mount Cook, with heavy rain and snow forecast. Operations are likely to begin again until conditions improve, which is expected to be on Thursday.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
