One in three mountain climbers reported. One in three mountain climbers reported missing on New Zealand’s highest peak, Aorakiis a mountain guide from Northern California and resident of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Carlos “Kique” Romero is a resident of Livermore in Alameda County and a guide for SWS Mountain Guides based in Mount Shasta, Siskiyou County.
Romero, 50, along with 56-year-old Colorado resident Kurt Blair and a Canadian man, failed to return from their climb on Aoraki, also known as Mount Cook, on Monday.
Romero’s biography on the SWS Mountain Guides website says he was born in Mérida, Venezuela, and did postgraduate studies at UC Berkeley. Before joining SWS, Romero had a 15-year career as a program manager at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, according to his biography.
Romero has led several climbing expeditions to the Andes and is an accredited rock guide, alpine guide and ski guide.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that Carlos (Kique) Romero is one of three climbers reported missing on New Zealand’s Mount Cook (Aoraki),” SWS Mountain Guides said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “Our hearts are with their families, friends and the climbing community as we await further updates. We continue to hope for clarity and keep Kique close in our thoughts.”
“He was so gracious and shared with younger guides, and shared with all the guides to make them better guides and safer guides,” Timothy Keating, the company’s CEO, told CBS News Bay Area.
When asked about the climb, Keating said: “Never doubt an accident like that… You’re never in the same situation, you can’t doubt someone’s decisions or their movements.”
In a news release Tuesday, New Zealand police said they had “serious concerns about the three men” and hoped to resume the search for them as soon as the weather clears. Search efforts were suspended due to deteriorating weather conditions.
‘However, at this stage it is unlikely that the search can continue any sooner [Wednessay]”, the press release said.
The Canadian citizen was not identified due to family concerns, police said.
Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker said the terrain on the mountain had been difficult to navigate and she praised the efforts of searchers so far. On Monday, searchers found several climbing-related items believed to belong to the men, but there was no trace of them.
A social media post from Silverton Avalanche School in Colorado said New Zealand authorities reported the climbers “appeared to have suffered a fatal fall from high on the summit.”
Part of the Southern Alps on New Zealand’s South Island, Aoraki is 3,724 meters high and popular among experienced climbers. Climbing conditions are difficult due to crevasses, avalanche danger, changeable weather and glacier movements.
Sanka Vidanagama/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Since the early 20th century, more than 240 deaths have been recorded on the mountain and the surrounding national park.
Kara St. Cyr contributed reporting.
