Saturday night mountaineers and climbers attended a benefit for the American Mountain Guides Association at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver.
Pete Takeda, Himalayan alpinist, journalist and Marmot athlete was on hand and delivered an intriguing presentation about his 2005 expedition to Nanda Devi. It retraced the CIA Cold War expeditions outlined in Takeda’s book An Eye At The Top Of The World. A major motion picture of this story is currently in the works.
Most of the attendees in our close-knit community knew that Jonny Copp was on that 2005 expedition. Takeda told humorous stories about Copp’s vibrant personality and their adventures on Nanda Devi, including an amazing story of how they narrowly escaped being entombed inside a crevasse when an avalanche hit.
Takeda said of the missing climbers in China, "These guys were more than just athletes. They cared about people, the world and community." Unfortunately, circumstances on Mount Edgar were different than on Nanda Devi in 2005. This time Copp did not escape the thundering force of another avalanche.
Climber identified on Mount Edgar
Late this afternoon, official word arrived that "The body found in avalanche debris at 4000 meters on Mount Edgar (6818 meters/22,368 feet), China, has been positively identified as Jonathan "Jonny" Copp, age 35 of Boulder, CO."
American climbers Eric Decaria and Nick Martino have already landed in China and will work with a Chinese team in their search effort to locate the other two missing climbers. Pete Takeda and Steve Su, are en route to China to assist the team.
Apparently the current weather on Mount Edgar is not cooperating, making search efforts difficult.
Up-to-date information
For the latest information about the search, see the Adventure Film blog. The site asks that you please do not contact friends and family at this time due to the sensitive nature of the situation.
Donations
If you wish to donate to help with the costs of the search, please visit the Adventure Film web site.
For larger donations or pledges, or if you have fund-related questions, please contact Ben Alexandra at 303-818-8002. Direct media-related questions, to Robb Shurr at 303-304-9580.
Hey Denver, make it one heck of a week. Do right by these guys and get out there and do your thing! Carpe Diem!