UPDATED: Search for Missing Climbers in Pakistan Called Off

Updated September 6, 2016 — The search for professional climbers Kyle Dempster and Scott Adamson, who have been missing in Pakistan since August 21, has been called off. The alpinists were last seen on the North Face of the Ogre II, and after two sweeps with a helicopter, the families of Adamson and Dempster made the difficult decision to end the search efforts. 

The official update:

"On Saturday, September 3, two Pakistani military helicopters left Skardu in clear weather. They landed at base camp on the Choktoi Glacier and picked up climber Thomas Huber who would assist as a spotter. An exhaustive and close-proximity initial search of the north face of the Ogre 2 (where Kyle and Scott were last seen on August 22), the northeast ridge (their planned descent route), and the glacial basin between the Ogre 2 and Ogre 1, yielded no sign of the pair. After refueling, the two helicopters made a second sweep of all sides of the mountain, from an even higher altitude, and again found no sign of Kyle and Scott. In light of those extensive yet unsuccessful efforts, the search team and knowledgeable observers in Pakistan, the US, and Europe, assessed that there remained a very slim chance that any evidence of their passage would be revealed in subsequent sweeps of the mountain.

Given the time that has elapsed and the nearly continuous stormy weather since they were last seen, and the substantial risks that such high-altitude missions entail, Kyle and Scott’s families have made the extremely difficult decision to end the search efforts.

We owe a huge amount of gratitude to the Pakistan government for scrambling all of their available assets and their commitment to finding Scott and Kyle. Their support, and that of Global Rescue, has been invaluable. Additionally Kyle and Scott’s families are deeply grateful for the assistance provided by the Pakistan Embassy in Switzerland the US Embassy in Pakistan, and numerous other individuals and organizations worldwide. We will acknowledge and thank each of them publicly and privately in the coming days.

That is the update for Saturday, September 3rd. We again ask that everyone please provide privacy to Kyle and Scott’s families. Any questions or media inquires should be directed to Jonathan Thesenga at jonathan.thesenga@bdel.com."

ORIGINAL POST — Because of weather, American climbers Kyle Dempster and Scott Adamson are stuck on a mountain in Pakistan and need your help. 

Keep in mind, these climbers aren't the ones asking for money, and they aren't calling for a rescue either. They have been missing for five days and their friends and family are doing everything they can to find them and get them home safe. 

From GoFundMe: 

"On Sunday, August 21, the team started up the North Face of the Ogre II, just off the Choktoi Glacier in Northern Pakistan. They planned on five days for the climb and descent. On Monday evening, their Pakistani cook, Ghafoor Abdul, spotted their headlamps roughly halfway up the peak. The weather remained good until Tuesday afternoon when a storm moved in. Snowfall and cloudy conditions have persisted in the region since then.

Kyle and Scott have not been seen since Monday, August 22, which is no surprise given the complexity and scale of the terrain and the vagaries of the weather. On Sunday, August 28, family and friends initiated a search and rescue effort, assisted by local authorities and another climbing team on the Choktoi.

Please help these boys. With the initiation of the Search and Rescue we have also been required to transfer money for the helicopter rescue and porters on foot in search of Scott and Kyle. With the unpredictable weather we are needing more money every day. Please consider the urgency of this situation and how thankful we are for your help."

One commenter said:

"Our friends and the families of Kyle and Scott are working vigorously with local Pakistani heli, porter, and fellow climbing teams to locate them on the mountain. Weather has not been in our favor. Visibility is next to none. Heli has not been cleared to launch. Our rescue team at basecamp has attempted to climb the descent route but have been turned back due to weather. They will continue to try with each window of opportunity. Yesterday, we were able to send a team off of high altitude porters from the back side of the Ogre, a possible alternate descent Kyle and Scott may have taken from the summit because of the storm. They are hiking in now. It's nighttime there. We hope for progress reports with the morning."

This is not the type of thing you will regret doing: donate here.

About The Author

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stash member Leslie Hittmeier

Leslie is a freelance writer and photographer. Storytelling is her focus and she spends her time following badass skiers and climbers around in their natural habitats. As an obsessed skier and climber herself, she plays and trains in the Tetons.