2 Utah climbers missing on mountain in Pakistan after snowstorm

2 Utah climbers missing on mountain in Pakistan after snowstorm

(Courtesy of Dan Christopherson)


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KARAKORAM, Pakistan— Utahns Kyle Dempster and Scott Adamson started up a mountain just off the Choktoi Glacier in northern Pakistan on Sunday, Aug. 21 for a five-day climb. Ten days later, they have still not returned.

Rebecca Katz, a spokeswoman for the families, said Dempster and Adamson, respectively from Provo and Salt Lake City, were last seen Monday, Aug. 22 by their cook who spotted their headlamps from a short distance. In the afternoon on Tuesday, Aug. 23, a storm moved into the area, bringing snowfall and cloudy conditions that are not safe for climbers.

Dan Christopherson, a longtime friend and climbing partner of Adamson, said the missing climbers travel frequently to different countries and other locations around the world to climb and that this was not their first time in Pakistan.

With no sign of the climbers, family and friends of Dempster and Adamson initiated a search and rescue effort on Monday, Aug. 28, assisted by local Pakistani authorities and another climbing team in the area.

(1) Where Adamson and Dempster started their climb (2) The descent route (3) The planned start of the descent (Courtesy of Dan Christopherson)
(1) Where Adamson and Dempster started their climb (2) The descent route (3) The planned start of the descent (Courtesy of Dan Christopherson)

Christopherson said the families have been required to transfer money to pay for the helicopter rescue and porters searching on foot for the climbers.

He said there is a ground crew on call, however, they cannot climb to a certain point to look for the missing men because of weather conditions, Christopherson said.

The family has set up a GoFundMe campaign*, which has collected more than $53,000 as of Wednesday morning.

"We definitely still have hope — they could be dug down into a snow cave and just waiting it out, unable to move because of weather and snow conditions," Christopherson said.

Friends say Dempster and Adamson are considered world-class climbers in the "alpinism" mountaineering style, which emphasizes speed and packing light. According to wclimbing.com, the pair tried the same difficult climb last year, resulting in a fall that broke Adamson's leg

More information will be provided as it becomes available.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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