The search for American climbers Kurt Blair, 56, and Carlos Romero, 50, and an unnamed Canadian national, resumed this morning as conditions finally cleared.
Police said this afternoon that a helicopter had found further climbing-related items on the mountain, including a top and energy gels.
Drone footage this afternoon shows where the climbers attempted to traverse the slopes below a ridge.
Police say that due to the length of time since the men were reported missing, lack of communications, items received and reconnaissance today, they do not believe the men have survived.
It is believed they have fallen.
“This is certainly not the news we wanted to share today,” the Aoraki area commander, Inspector Vicki Walker, said at a police standup.
”First and foremost, we’re thinking of the men’s families in the United States and Canada and the wider climbing community.
”We’ve spoken to them today, and as you’d expect, it’s not the phone call they wanted to receive.
”Myself and the team are devastated for them. We all wanted a positive result.”
Police are now following a formal process to suspend their search, Walker said, but remain poised to resume it if there is fresh information or credible reports or sightings.
The feasibility of any recovery operation will be carefully considered and managed, Walker added. The coroner will be advised.
The trio failed to turn up for their plane out of the country on Monday.
The friends and family of Kurt Blair have since started planning a memorial service in celebration of his life.
“It is with a heavy heart that we put this together. Please join us for a celebration of life for Kurt Blair on Friday, December 6, 2024, at 4pm,” they said in a post online.
The search for three missing climbers on Aoraki/Mt Cook has resumed this morning. Photo / George Heard
A helicopter took off this morning from the Search and Rescue Base at Mt Cook Village after days of wind that prevented any craft taking to the sky, and has since returned to base.
Walker said the helicopter was used to take up two drone pilots.
“The intention is to now create a staging area for them to operate a drone as part of the search. The window of opportunity to survey the area of interest is small. Our teams will assess any new information we are able to gather from the mountain,” the inspector said.
“First and foremost, we’re thinking of the men’s families in the United States and Canada. This is a deeply distressing time for the relatives – my heart goes out to them.”
Walker said that for most of the week, weather had limited the ability to repeat the search conducted on day one.
The search has resumed for the missing Aoraki Mt Cook climbers this morning. Photo / George Heard
Search teams have been hampered by treacherous conditions, and it has been too windy for helicopters and too dangerous to put search teams in the area.
“As the highest peak in New Zealand, Aoraki/Mt Cook is a challenging and technical climb with countless crevasses and hazards,” Walker said.
“Even if it was safe to put searchers on the ground, it would take a day to reach Plateau Hut and another day to summit the peak and return to the hut. The weather has presented searchers with a frustrating situation.”
Walker acknowledged all of the teams and specialists who “are putting their heart and soul into this rescue operation”.
Laura Lisowski, a friend of Blair’s, told the Herald he was an “absolutely magical human being”.
“I’ve climbed many places with many people around the world and never has a guide (or person in general, frankly) made such an impression on me as Kurt,” she said.
Lisowski described Blair as an “extremely dynamic individual” who was full of wisdom and would never miss a “witty remark”.
In a post online, Silverton Avalanche School in the US said it had been notified the climbers had succumbed to a fatal fall.
The school paid tribute to Blair online, remembering him as the “nicest guy” who came from a “proud lineage of mountain adventurers”.
Two of the missing climbers. Composite photo / NZME
“Police search and rescue and Department of Conservation search and rescue are working together to locate the three men,” police said.
Walker said a helicopter and specialist search and rescue personnel searched on the mountain throughout the afternoon and into the evening until “weather conditions deteriorated”.
