With an elevation of nearly 20,000 feet and treacherous routes to the summit, Mt. Artesonraju in the Peruvian Andes rarely sees ascents. The tragic deaths this month of an experienced climbing party show why it remains such a dangerous mountain.
Several weeks after their initial disappearance, three climbers — including National Geographic photographer Edson Vandeira — were found dead on the Peruvian mountain this week.
Vandeira, 36, a Brazilian native and resident of Peru, set out for the summit on May 29 with Efraín Pretel Alonzo, 34, and Jesús Manuel Picón Huerta, 31, two Peruvian mountaineers. When they did not return on June 1 as planned, volunteers began a rescue operation using drones and helicopters.
After 10 days with no results, the search ended, and on June 22, the Association of Mountain Guides of Peru confirmed that they had found the climbers’ bodies using drone reconnaissance. Speaking of the survivors’ families, the association wrote on Facebook: “We share the pain of their loss and renew our commitment to accompany them through this process with respect and humanity,” (translated from Spanish).
The exact timeline of events is not clear, but large falling blocks of ice likely caused the accident.
The mountain has been the site of other accidents, including in 2006, when three American climbers died after falling into a crevasse. In 2018, three mountaineers perished from an avalanche. Conditions can change quickly on the mountain and the risk of avalanches is high.
A Skilled Mountaineer
With 17 years of alpine experience under his belt, Vandeira was a skilled mountaineer, The Minnesota Star-Tribune reported. In fact, Vandeira was attempting to summit Mt. Artesonraju as part of his training to become a certified mountain guide.
National Geographic has featured Vandeira’s photography, including this feature story on jaguars in Brazil.
His work was also featured in the History Channel’s Andes Extremo, a series following ascents of six of the Andes’ highest peaks. Vandeira’s photography ranged from capturing the peaks of Everest to showcasing voluntary veterinarians attempting to help wildlife in Brazil during wildfires. Other major projects included documenting Brazil’s science program in Antarctica. Vandeira lived in Minnesota for several years, and there was an outpouring of support and grief in the local climbing community following the tragic news.
“Beyond being an extraordinarily skilled mountaineer and climber, he is an incredible human: Kind, passionate and inspiring,” Sayyed Saif Alnabi wrote in the Minnesota Climbers Facebook group.
Vandeira’s former wife, Natalia Mossman Koch, launched a GoFundMe to pay for recovery efforts and help Vandeira’s family travel to Peru. As of Wednesday afternoon, the fundraiser had only reached about $3,500 of its $7,000 goal.
Check out Vandeira’s photography portfolio on his website. Vandeira’s family and the Association of Mountain Guides of Peru did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
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