Helicopter search in Pakistan planned for missing U.S. climbers

SALT LAKE CITY — The Pakistan military plans to search with helicopters Saturday morning for a pair of well-known Utah climbers missing on an icy mountain peak that has been encased by thick clouds and snowfall for days.

This would be the first time the weather has cleared enough for helicopters to look for mountain climbers Kyle Dempster and Scott Adamson, said Jonathan Thesenga, of Black Diamond Equipment. An organization called Global Rescue also has helicopters and a medivac aircraft on standby.

A rescue effort was launched Sunday near northern Pakistan’s Choktoi Glacier after Dempster and Adamson failed to return Aug. 26 to base camp following an attempt to climb the north face of a 23,901-foot mountain.

Thesenga says the two left base camp Aug. 21 to start their ascent. Their cook, at base camp, spotted their head lamps about halfway up the peak on the second day. On the third day, snowy and cloudy temperatures rolled in that have socked in the area, he said.

“After days and days of waiting, the upcoming dawn in Pakistan brings us our greatest opportunity for rescuing Scott and Kyle,” said Thesenga about a search that began today, Friday night in U.S. time zones.

He is the global sports marketing manager for Utah-based Black Diamond Equipment, which is sponsoring Dempster.

Dempster, 33, and Adamson, 34, both of Utah, are two of the most accomplished alpinists of their generation. Dempster is a two-time winner of the coveted climbing award, Piolets d’Or. He last won in 2013 for a climb he did with others in the same area in Pakistan. They were attempting a climb never before done on the north face of a peak known as Ogre II.