Shocking find made by rescue team while searching for missing Americans and Canadian on New Zealand mountain

Two Americans and a Canadian went missing while climbing Mount Cook in New Zealand on Saturday morning and are presumed dead.

Condolences were expressed for the pair of Americans, who were identified as Kurt Blair, aged 56, and Carlos Romero, aged 50, while the Canadian mountaineer’s identity has not been disclosed publicly yet.

Reports from search teams on Monday revealed the discovery of clothing and climbing equipment on the mountain, also known as Aoraki. However, the men have not been located despite the search efforts.

The recovery mission was only launched Monday after the three climbers failed to return to their pre-arranged transportation back off the mountain. 

Blair and Romero, both certified alpine guides, seem to have met a tragic fate according to Blair’s employer, the Silverton Avalanche School in Colorado, as stated in a Facebook post.

They said the group were believed to have been ‘high upon the peak’ of Mt. Cook when they fell, and said their climbing gear allowed teams to ‘piece together the tragedy.’ 

Although the men’s bodies have not yet been found, the school said this is because ‘remote, technical and heavily glaciated terrain coupled with deteriorating weather has prevented a recovery of the climbers.’ 

Blair’s loved ones and climbing friends flooded social media after news of his disappearance was made public, with friend Missy Thompson sharing on Facebook: ‘I hold in my heart so many wonderful memories of the grand adventures we have shared. And will especially remember your true positivity and kindness, you made this world a better place.’ 

Thompson said Blair had even sent her a happy birthday message from on Mt. Cook a few days before he disappeared, as she said there ‘are no words’ to describe his loss. 

Blair’s employer described him as ‘the nicest guy you’d ever share a rope or trail or skin track with.’ 

‘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,’ the climbing school said. 

After Romero and Blair were named publicly, New Zealand police say the name of the third Canadian climber will not be released until their family has been notified. 

The three men had reportedly flown part-way up the mountain to begin their climb from a popular spot known as the Plateau Hut, reports Adventure.com. 

It is not clear if the men made it to the peak of Mt. Cook, the highest summit in New Zealand, and search efforts have reportedly been paused until at least Thursday due to extreme weather conditions on the mountain. 

Aoraki Area Commander Inspector Vicki Walker said in a news release: ‘Police have been working with the U.S. and Canadian embassies to inform and support the families of the three men.’ 

The base of Mt. Cook is among the most popular tourist spots outside the cities in New Zealand, and is best known for appearing in the background of the Lord of the Rings trilogy to set the scene of Mordor. 

The peak stands at 3,724 meters high, and traversing the mountain is only for experienced climbers due to rough terrain, deep crevasses, risk of avalanches and the chance of extreme weather. 

More than 240 deaths have been recorded on the mountain since the start of the 20th century, reports CTV News.