Beloved Colorado mountain guide presumed dead after big fall on 12,218-foot peak | OutThere Colorado

A Colorado mountain guide is presumed to be deceased after what is believed to have been a fatal fall on 12,218-foot Mount Cook in New Zealand over the weekend.

The Silverton Avalanche School published a post on Facebook about the incident:

“It is with a heavy heart that we share that our friend and colleague Kurt Blair went missing and is presumed deceased while climbing Mt. Cook in New Zealand. Kurt was part of a climbing party of three that were reported overdue over the weekend.”

It is believed that the climbers took a fatal fall high on the peak. Local reporting from New Zealand indicates that weather concerns posed issues during the search for the men, which was called off earlier this week to be continued when safer conditions are present. It’s also worth noting that several climbing-related items believed to belong to the men have been recovered.

The group of three included Kurt Blair, 56, Carlos Romero, 50, and an unidentified Canadian national, according to reporting from New Zealand’s 1 News.

In the 1 News report about the incident, staff from the Mountain Safety Council is cited as indicating that “good for climbing” conditions were present on Mount Cook – which is also commonly called Aoraki – last weekend.

“Climbing on the Main Divide and New Zealand’s 3000 meter peaks is a serious undertaking, with common hazards including avalanches, glacier crossings, rock falls, icy surface conditions and dynamic weather,” said Mountain Safety Council Chief Executive Mike Daisley as he described the general nature of mountaineering in the area.

“Kurt was a beloved fixture of the San Juan mountains who comes from a proud lineage of mountain adventurers,” reads the post from Silverton Avalanche School. “Anyone who shared time with Kurt in the mountains knows that his calm demeanor and positive presence ran counter to the rough edges and sharp tongues so often exemplified by the hard scrabble ranks of mountain guides. He was the nicest guy you’d ever share a rope or trail or skin track with, and his humility, competence and polite nature made him a client and student favorite.”

The post continues:

“Blair leaves behind a loving family, two amazing sons and a mountain community that stretches along the entire length of the 550 corridor and beyond. He is loved and will be missed.”