© Provided by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Facebook Three world-renowned climbers are missing and presumed to have died in an avalanche in the Rocky Mountains.

Jess Roskelley was, at one point, the youngest person to climb Mount Everest. The American had set out this week to climb Howse Peak in Banff National Park along with Austrian climbers David Lama and Hansjörg Auer.

The trio was attempting a challenging route up the mountain known as M16, said Eli Francovich, an outdoors reporter with the Spokesman Review newspaper in Spokane, Wash., where Roskelley is from.

"I talked to John Roskelley, Jess's father, this morning, and he confirmed that Jess was missing, and he thinks he's dead in an avalanche," Francovich said.

"Jess was going to check in Tuesday and didn't, and John called Parks Canada. They sent out a helicopter. They saw an avalanche debris field and one partially buried body."

Parks Canada said in a release Thursday that officials had "responded by air and observed signs of multiple avalanches and debris containing climbing equipment."

"Based on the assessment of the scene, all three members of the party are presumed to be deceased," the release said.

"The three men, one American and two Europeans, are professional mountain athletes and highly experienced. Parks Canada extends its sincerest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the mountaineers."

"Further investigation is underway but recovery efforts are not currently possible due to additional avalanches and dangerous conditions at the scene," the release added.

"The east face of Howse Peak is remote and an exceptionally difficult objective, with mixed rock and ice routes requiring advanced alpine mountaineering skills."

Size 3 avalanche

Parks Canada visitor safety specialist Stephen Holeczi said the last known information about the party of three was that they had begun their ascent on Tuesday.

Parks Canada was contacted about the missing party on Wednesday morning.

Holeczi said it's not clear exactly when the avalanche occurred. It is believed to be a Size 3 on the scale used by Avalanche Canada. That's large enough to bury a car, break trees or destroy a small, wood-framed building.

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The area is under a "spring" avalanche forecast, according to Avalanche Canada, which means conditions and risk can vary widely throughout the day depending on on temperature, wind, solar radiation and the aspect and angle of a particular slope.

"Every mountain has different weather and avalanche conditions on it, so we can't speculate as to what the conditions were like at that time," Holeczi said.

The recovery operation will have to wait until there is a sufficient weather window for Parks Canada to assess and mitigate hazards in the area and put people on the ground, he said. There's no clear timeline for that.

'Fixtures of the community'

Francovich described the elder Roskelley as "one of the best alpinists of his generation" and his son as just as accomplished.

John Roskelley also served as a county commissioner in Spokane, and Francovich said the family is well-known and well-loved in the area.

"They're just fixtures of the community both civically and then also in the outdoor and climbing community," Francovich said. "They're very well respected."

Jess Roskelley is survived by his wife, Allison.

Auer and Lama are well known in the mountaineering world for their ambitious expeditions.

Auer recently completed the first solo ascent of Lupghar Sar West, a remote 7,157-metre summit in Pakistan. And Lama was part of a duo that made the first free ascent of the famous Compressor route on Cerro Torre in Patagonia, along the border between Argentina and Chile.

'3 of the most elite alpine climbers'

Brandon Pullan, editor-in-chief of Gripped magazine, described the trio as "three of the most elite alpine climbers in the world."

"All three of them, they had in common this similar goal of going and doing remote climbs on big mountains in a very pure, alpine way," said Pullan, who is based in Canmore, Alta.

Pullan spoke with the climbers when they arrived in Canmore recently and said the local community was surprised to see the famous alpinists show up in town unannounced, with their sights set on several goals in the Rockies.

"Jess Roskelley was just an all-around, American badass alpine climber with visions on doing these big climbs," Pullan said.

"Hansjörg Auer was a bit of a different character. He looked at big mountains in the Himalayas — and doing them by himself. He had kind of a bigger vision for himself in the mountaineering world. And then David Lama, he was probably one of the technically strongest solo climbers in the world ... you could call him the biggest rock star in climbing right now for what he was doing."

Pullan said the M16 route up Howse Peak was climbed in 1999 and never since.</s>The trio were attempting to climb the Howse Peak in the Canadian Rockies

Three well-known mountain climbers are presumed dead after they were caught in an avalanche in Canada's Rocky Mountains earlier this week.

Austrian climbers David Lama and Hansjorg Auer, and American climber Jess Roskelley, had set out to scale the 10,810ft Howse Peak at Banff National Park but never returned.

Search teams sent out to find the missing climbers on Wednesday found signs of "multiple avalanches", along with "debris containing climbing equipment".

In a statement, Parks Canada said: "Based on the assessment of the scene, all three members of the party are presumed to be deceased."

Efforts to recover the climbers' remains have so far been halted due to a heightened avalanche risk, with officials noting the "exceptionally difficult objective" of the peak.

The group were all members of a global athlete team with outdoor apparel company North Face, which said on Thursday that it was waiting to hear more information on its "valued and loved members".

The company added: "We are doing everything we can to support their families, friends and community during this difficult time."Jess Roskelley

Mr Roskelly, the son of a professional climber, became the youngest American to climb Mount Everest in 2003, when he was 20 years old. His record was later broken by 13-year-old Jordan Romero.

His father John told the Spokesman-Review on Thursday that the group had been attempting a route that had only been completed for the first time just two decades earlier.

He said: "It's just one those routes where you have to have the right conditions or it turns into a nightmare.

"This is one of those trips where it turned into a nightmare."

The climber to first establish the route, Steve House, described leading "one of the hardest pitches of my life" during his ascent of the peak.

Mr Roskelley's climbing partners on Howse Peak were just as experienced.

Mr Lama became the first person to scale the Lunag Ri mountain solo in Nepal in 2018, while Mr Auer is best known for his solo ascents, including a ropeless climb of a face on Marmolada mountain in Italy.

In a tweet on Friday morning, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz paid tribute to the two Austrian climbers.

They "have shaped the international climbing and alpine scene with a variety of successes in recent years," he wrote.

Conrad Anker, a professional climber who was originally due to partner Mr Lama on the Lunag Ri ascent before suffering a heart attack, released a statement on his fellow sportsmen.

On Instagram, he wrote: "We choose to play by the rules of the mountains because they are our calling.

"The intensity of the high alpine, guarded by wind and snow and ruled by gravity, is where we find these moments that define us as people."

"We accept the loss that strikes unaware in return for the bonds of friendship created by experiencing life in the majesty of nature".</s>(CNN) - Three professional mountain climbers are missing and are presumed dead after an avalanche at Canada's Banff National Park, according to park officials and the outdoor-gear brand sponsoring them.

David Lama, Jess Roskelley, and Hansjörg Auer were "caught in an avalanche earlier this week while attempting to climb the east face of Howse Peak in Alberta," a North Face spokesman said.

The three men, one American and two Europeans, are members of the company's Global Athlete Team.

"They are missing, and local search and rescue has assumed the worst," the spokesman said.

"We are doing everything we can to support their families, friends and the climbing community during this difficult time. We ask that you keep our athletes and their loved ones in your hearts and thoughts."

After the climbers were reported missing Wednesday, park officials searched for them via air and "observed signs of multiple avalanches and debris containing climbing equipment," Parks Canada said in a statement.

"Based on the assessment of the scene, all three members of the party are presumed to be deceased," the statement noted.

Eli Francovich, an outdoors reporter with the Spokesman Review newspaper in Spokane, Washington, spoke with Roskelley's father, John Roskelley, who confirmed that his son was missing.

"Jess was going to check in Tuesday and didn't, and John called Parks Canada. They sent out a helicopter. They saw an avalanche debris field and one partially buried body," Francovich told CNN partner CBC News.

Park officials said they are investigating the incident but recovery efforts were not currently possible because of the "rising avalanche in the area."

It appears the climbers were caught in a size 3 avalanche, said Chelsey Dawes, a spokeswoman with Parks Canada.

The east face of Howse Peak is a remote and an exceptionally difficult climb, with mixed rock and ice routes requiring advanced alpine mountaineering skills, officials said.</s>Banff, Alberta: Outdoor apparel company The North Face said on Thursday three members of its Global Athlete Team are presumed dead after an avalanche in Alberta's Banff National Park.

The company said renowned American alpinist Jess Roskelley and Austrian climbers David Lama and Hansjorg Auer are missing. Roskelley climbed Mount Everest in 2003 at age 20. At the time he was the youngest person to climb the world's highest peak.

The North Face says it is doing what it can to support the climbers' families and friends.

Parks Canada said the three men were attempting to climb the east face of Howse Peak on the Icefields Parkway on Wednesday.</s>Three of the world's most elite climbers are missing and presumed dead by park officials after an avalanche in Alberta, Canada.

Jess Roskelley, a U.S. citizen, and David Lama and Hansjörg Auer, who are both Austrian, had been attempting to climb the east face of Howse Peak in Banff National Park. They were reported overdue on Wednesday, according to the park.

"Based on an assessment of the scene, all three members of the party are presumed to be deceased," the park said.

A statement from Parks Canada said that responders "observed signs of multiple avalanches and debris containing climbing equipment."

"Search and recovery efforts are not currently possible due to weather and dangerous avalanche conditions," it said. The avalanche hazard is expected to continue, Parks Canada said, because of more strong winds and precipitation.

Washington native Roskelley, 36, was the youngest American to summit Mount Everest. He accomplished the feat when he was 20 with his father. John, who is also a well-known climber.

Jess Roskelley has been called "one of America's boldest alpinists," Men's Journal wrote. The Spokesman-Review said he made first ascents in Alaska and in northeast Pakistan.

"It's how he lived, really. He took life by the horns," his father told the newspaper. "When you're climbing mountains, danger is not too far away. It's terrible for my wife and I. But it's even worse for his wife."

David Lama, the 28-year-old son of a Nepali mountain guide and an Austrian nurse, made waves early in his career. According to the trio's sponsor, The North Face, "at age 12, David became the youngest climber in the history of the sport to complete an 8b+," an extremely difficult rock climbing grade.

Lama made the first free ascent of the southeast ridge of Cerro Torre in Patagonia, which was documented in a film called Cerro Torre: A Snowball's Chance in Hell.

Auer, 35, who grew up in the mountains of Austria, was known as "one of the world's top solo climbers," as Outside reported. In 2007, he famously free-soloed "The Fish," a legendary route on the south face of Italy's Marmolada.

"All three of them, they had in common this similar goal of going and doing remote climbs on big mountains in a very pure, alpine way," Gripped magazine Editor-in-Chief Brandon Pullan told CBC. The difficult route that the group was on had only been climbed once, according to the broadcaster.

Parks Canada described the route as a "remote and an exceptionally difficult objective, with mixed rock and ice routes requiring advanced alpine mountaineering skills."

The Howse Peak area has been closed to all traffic and travel until further notice. The area generally sees "few travelers," according to the park service, and was used by the First Nations "as a route through the mountains to bison."</s>Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Friday his thoughts are with the friends and families of two of the country’s best-known climbers missing and feared dead in Canada along with an American alpinist following an avalanche.

David Lama and Hansjörg Auer have been missing in Alberta’s Banff National Park since Wednesday together with American climber Jess Roskelley.

Their sponsor, outdoor apparel company The North Face, said the three members of its Global Athlete Team are presumed dead.

Kurz said Lama and Auer had “shaped the international climbing and alpinist scene in recent years with many achievements.”

Lama, 28, was feted for achieving the first free ascent in 2012 of the Compressor Route of the Cerro Torre, one of the most striking peaks in the Andes.

The feat was captured in the 2013 documentary “Cerro Torre – A Snowball’s Chance in Hell.”

The son of a Nepalese mountain guide and an Austrian woman, Lama had also won numerous climbing competitions in his younger years before devoting himself full-time to mountaineering in 2011.

His parents posted a statement to his Instagram on Friday.

“David dedicated his life to the mountains and his passion for climbing and alpinism shaped and accompanied our family. He always followed his own path and lived his dream. We will accept what now happened as a part of that.⁣⠀

⁣⠀

We appreciate the numerous positive words and thoughts from near and far. Please understand that there will be no further comments from our side. We ask you to remember David for his zest for life, his enthusiasm and with a view towards his beloved mountains.

Our thoughts are with Hansjörg’s and Jess‘ family.

Auer, 35, became the first person to free solo climb Italy’s Marmolada peak via the south face in 2007.

Parks Canada said the three men were attempting to climb the east face of Howse Peak on the Icefields Parkway on Wednesday.

Parks Canada described the mountain the men were climbing as very remote, with every peak and valley subject to different weather conditions.

Officials said safety specialists immediately responded by air and observed signs of multiple avalanches and debris containing climbing equipment.

Due to dangerous conditions at the scene, recovery efforts weren’t possible on Thursday.

READ MORE: Calgary man, 36, dies after avalanche in Banff National Park

Roskelley climbed Mount Everest in 2003 at age 20. At the time he was the youngest American to climb the world’s highest peak.

His father, John Roskelley, told The Spokesman-Review, that the route his son and the other climbers were attempting was first done in 2000.

READ MORE: Relatives struggle to cope as bodies return from Everest

In the 2013 documentary, Lama addressed the constant peril extreme climbers are exposed to, insisting that the risks were carefully calculated — more like a game of poker than Russian roulette.

“I think it’s important to be aware of the risks, but in the end there will always be things that are out of our hands,” he said.</s>OTTAWA — Three professional mountain climbers were missing and presumed dead on Thursday after an avalanche in Banff National Park in the western province of Alberta.

The three were identified as Jess Roskelley, who is an accomplished American mountaineer, and David Lama and Hansjörg Auer, both Austrian, by the North Face clothing company, their sponsor.

The men failed to return from their climb on Wednesday. Parks Canada, the government agency responsible for the park, said an aerial survey had found “signs of multiple avalanches and debris containing climbing equipment” in the area where the three had been climbing.</s>Three elite mountain climbers — including one from the U.S. — are feared dead after a massive avalanche at a Canadian national park this week, according to a new report.

The climbers, part of the North Face Global Athlete team, include American Jess Roskelley and Austrians David Lama and Hansjorg Auer, the Calgary Herald reported.

The trio was attempting to climb Howse Peak on the Icefields Parkway within Alberta’s Banff National Park Wednesday when they disappeared.

“They are missing, and local search and rescue has assumed the worst,” The North Face said in a statement obtained by the outlet. “We are doing everything we can to support their families, friends and the climbing community during this difficult time.”

Stephen Holeczi, a visitor safety specialist at the site, told the paper he believes a Size 3 avalanche, packing about 1,000 tons snow, ice and rocks — with the potential to bury a car, destroy a small building or break trees — occurred at the site.

“We did see signs of multiple avalanches and debris containing climbing equipment along with strong evidence that the climbing party was deceased,” he said.

Recovery teams have temporarily halted their efforts because additional avalanches are possible, Holeczi told the outlet.

Barry Blanchard, a local mountain guide, told the outlet he chatted with Roskelley when the trio arrived at the site about a week ago and provided route suggestions.

Though the scenery is breathtaking, the peak has a steep alpine wall — making it a choice destination for only experienced climbers, he said. But he called the three men well-equipped, and among the top one percent of mountaineers worldwide.

“If you want to equate it to racing, they are Formula 1 drivers,” Blanchard told the paper.

Lama, 28, the son of a Nepali mountain guide and a nurse from Austria, holds the title of the youngest person to ever win an International Federation of Sport Climbing World Cup in both lead climbing and bouldering, according to his bio on the North Face website

Auer, 35, grew up in Austria, where he and his brothers would often guide sheep from the family farm into the mountains, his bio says.

And Roskelley, 36, grew up in Spokane, Washington — where adventuring was in his blood as he and his family often went on excursions throughout the Pacific Northwest, according to his North Face bio. In 2003, when he was 20 years old, he summitted Mount Everest with his dad, renowned climber and author John Roskelley.

“This route they were trying to do was first done in 2000,” John Roskelley told the Spokesman Review. “It’s just one of those routes where you have to have the right conditions or it turns into a nightmare. This is one of those trips where it turned into a nightmare.”</s>BANFF, Alta. -- Outdoor apparel company The North Face says three members of its Global Athlete Team are presumed dead after an avalanche in Alberta's Banff National Park.

The company says renowned American alpinist Jess Roskelley and Austrian climbers David Lama and Hansjorg Auer are missing.

The North Face says it is doing what it can to support their family and friends.

Parks Canada says the three men were attempting to climb the east face of Howse Peak on the Icefields Parkway on Wednesday.

Officials say recovery efforts are on hold because of a continued risk of avalanches in the area.

Rain and strong winds in the forecast are expected to make conditions worse.

"Parks Canada visitor safety specialists immediately responded by air and observed signs of multiple avalanches and debris containing climbing equipment," the agency says in a statement.

"Parks Canada extends its sincerest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the mountaineers."

The east face of Howse Peak is remote and Parks Canada says its mixed rock and ice routes make it an exceptionally difficult climb.</s>A trio of professional climbers missing at Banff National Park are presumed dead after an avalanche, Canadian park officials and The North Face say.

American Jess Roskelley and Austrians David Lama and Hansjörg Auer, all members of The North Face's Global Athlete Team, were reported overdue earlier this week as they were attempting to climb Howse Peak, the outdoor apparel company said.

"They are missing, and local search and rescue has assumed the worst," the company said in a statement.

Roskelley, from Spokane, Washington, climbed Mount Everest in 2003 at age 20, becoming the youngest American to do so at the time.

Parks Canada said in a statement Thursday evening that search and recovery efforts were not currently possible "due to weather and dangerous avalanche conditions."

Eli Francovich, an outdoor reporter at the Spokesman Review, told Canada's CBC that Roskelley's father John, also a world-class climber, believed his son had died in the avalanche.

"Jess was going to check in Tuesday and didn't, and John called Parks Canada. They sent out a helicopter. They saw an avalanche debris field and one partially buried body," Francovich told CBC.

"Based on the assessment of the scene, all three members of the party are presumed to be deceased," Parks Canada said.

Howse Peak, the mountain the team was attempting to climb, is an extremely challenging climb.

"Of all the people who mountain climb in the world, you’re talking about the top 1% to attempt a route of that nature," Barry Blanchard, associate director of Yamnuska Mountain Adventures in Alberta, told the Star Calgary.

All three climbers were among the most elite in the world.

In addition to his Everest summit alongside his father, Roskelley also was the first to ascend many peaks in Alaska, according to Climbing magazine.

Lama, of Innsbruck, Austria, was a European champion in various climbing disciplines and had the first free ascent of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre in Patagonia, the magazine reported.

Hansjörg Auer, from Ötztal, Austria, was the first to climb The Fish route on Italy's Marmolada in the Dolomites without a rope or any protections, according to Climbing.

"David, Jess, and Hansjörg are valued and loved members of The North Face family and we are doing everything we can to support their families, friends and community during this difficult time," the company said in its statement.
Mountain climbers Jess Roskelley, David Lama and Hansjörg Auer are suspected dead after an avalanche on Howse Peak in Canada's Banff National Park.