Erica Kutcher Lost in Northern Pakistan

[kjsmitty]

What do you think happened to her? Any ideas? A 27-year-old Great Neck native who explored the world through biking and mountain climbing was reported missing last Sunday during an expedition to climb Shipton Spire, a mountain in northern Pakistan, her father said Wednesday.

Erica Kutcher had been climbing in the remote area since mid-June and was missing from base camp on Saturday, said her father, David Kutcher of Great Neck.

State Department spokeswoman Nancy Beck said Wednesday that her agency was investigating reports that Kutcher was missing. An Associated Press story quoted a U.S. Embassy spokesman in Pakistan who confirmed her disappearance.

The same report claimed Kutcher was feared dead after getting struck by an avalanche while climbing near K-2 in Pakistan, the world’s second-highest peak, but her father denied the claim Wednesday.

David Kutcher said he contacted officials Monday about his daughter’s disappearance, moments after he fielded a phone call from Pierre Olsson, Erica Kutcher’s climbing partner.

David Kutcher said, according to Olsson’s account, that his daughter went for a walk alone on Saturday and when she didn’t return two hours later, Olsson and several porters searched for her until night fell.

Olsson, who is from Sweden, notified local officials and was transported to the nearby town of Skardu, where he is assisting in land and air search efforts, David Kutcher said. Blue Sky Trek & Tours, the company that sponsored the expedition, is also helping with the search, he said.

When Erica Kutcher told her parents she was planning an expedition to Pakistan, they expressed only “political concerns” – which her father declined to elaborate on – but no reservations about her climbing expertise.

“She’s an extreme athlete and has an extensive athletic resume,” her father said.

Kutcher’s passion for outdoor sports began when she was 14 years old during a summer program of hiking, camping, bicycling and kayaking.

Kutcher studied outdoor recreation at the University of Vermont in Burlington, and spent a semester abroad bicycling around New Zealand. She then flew to Australia and biked alone for months throughout the continent.

Three years ago, Kutcher planned a biking trip from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica. With a friend, she bicycled from Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic Circle to Baja California in Mexico, where the trip ended after two months due to an illness that immobilized her.

“They biked 110 miles a day,” said Blossom Kutcher, her mother.

Her father said Kutcher is certified in survival training, including ski patrol and rescue and avalanche control. It is those skills that her parents hope will bring her home.

“Erica is a survivor,” he said.

David Kutcher said he is upset about reports that she was caught in an avalanche because he said that contradicts what he was told by Olsson and officials.

“It’s upsetting to receive calls and condolences when her death has not even been confirmed,” David Kutcher said.

[kjsmitty]

I would think a snow leopord attacked her. Poor women.

The cat often uses the natural protection of the terrain to stalk its prey, keeping low below the skyline and pouncing down onto its victim. Commonly the animal is a solitary hunter but may share the task with its mate during its breeding season. It has been know that one animal will stalk the prey while the other lies in wait to make the kill. With larger prey, it is common that the snow leopard will remain close to its kill and return over a period of three to four days to feed. This well built, muscular cat can bring down prey more than two to three times its size, as is the case with the native Yak. However, unlike its distant neighbours the Tiger and Leopard, the snow leopard is generally not aggressive toward man.

[devashish_paul]

Yikes, being up there in the Karakorams where India-Russia-Pakistan-China and Afghanistan meet is not exactly where I would want to be with all the unrest etc. In any event, I wish her the best.

http://travel.web.pk/destinations/mountain_peaks/k_2.asp

[kjsmitty]

I wish her well also. She was gearing up to make this climb of Shipton Spire. I hope she is found OK.

Shipton Spire East Face (5850m) Trango, Pakistan

[devashish_paul]

5850m = 19,305m…clilmbing straight up that wall. I can’t imagine even taking a step at that altitude !

[kjsmitty]

Some women she is with a real sense of adventure. I’ll stick to swim, bike , run. Watching the climbers in Yosemite on the face of El Capitan really gives you a sense that this hobby/sport isn’t for me.

[kjsmitty]

There are still stories in this remote section of the world that there exists Yeti ***The Abominable Snowman!

[Former_User]

That hurts even looking at it. My thoughts are with her family.

[kjsmitty]

Sadly this extraordinary athlete was found dead yesterday. She was killed in an avalanche. I feel for her parents & friends. It’s a sad loss.

A 27-year-old woman who disappeared more than a week ago during an expedition to climb Shipton Spire, a mountain in northern Pakistan, was found dead yesterday, a U.S. Embassy official said.

Erica Kutcher, a Great Neck native, was reported missing after she left base camp for an afternoon walk July 9. Her climbing partner, Pierre Olsson of Sweden, and several attendants searched for Kutcher until dark, notifying local officials the next day.

Around 2:50 a.m. yesterday , Molly Jackson of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad notified Kutcher’s parents, who live in Great Neck, that Kutcher had just been found dead more than 800 feet from base camp, said Linda Glickman, Kutcher’s aunt.

Kutcher was partially buried under snow and ice, and was probably killed by an avalanche, said Greg Crouch, the embassy spokesman. Kutcher’s body was removed from the site and transferred to a military hospital near Skardu, Pakistan.

“Deep down in their hearts, they knew this was a possibility, but there was always hope of her safe return,” said Glickman of Kutcher’s parents, who were unavailable yesterday for comment.

The search team that found Kutcher was led by Blue Sky Treks & Tours, the adventure tourism company based in Skardu that sponsored Kutcher’s trip, said its managing director, Ghulam Muhammad.

Muhammad contacted the U.S. Embassy after his search team found Kutcher’s body, and the family was notified immediately, said Michael Glickman, Kutcher’s cousin.

This is the first time a person has died on a Blue Sky tour, Muhammad said.

Kutcher’s athletic accomplishments, which included bicycling 110 miles a day for two months from the Arctic Circle to Mexico, led the outdoor sports enthusiast to certifications in ski patrol and rescue and avalanche control.

Those were the same skills that her parents hoped would keep Kutcher alive, her father said last week.

“Erica could climb 400 feet in 10 minutes,” her aunt said. “She was a superior climber.”

Kutcher had been climbing on Shipton Spire since mid-June, an area that is known to climbers but not often frequented because it is so remote, her father said.

Crouch said the cause of the avalanche, or Kutcher’s role in accidentally instigating one during her walk, is unknown.

The family is making arrangements to have Kutcher’s body sent home for a proper burial, said Michael Glickman.

“They’re devastated, absolutely devastated,” Michael Glickman said of his aunt and uncle.