Mt. Shishpangma, Tibet, Oct. 5--There are mixed reports today that acclaimed mountaineer Alex Lowe and high-altitude cameraman Dave Bridges are missing and presumed dead after an avalanche in Tibet.
The two were leading an expedition sponsored by MountainZone.com to summit and then ski down Mt. Shishpangma, the 14th highest summit on Earth. A massive avalanche is reported to have struck the climbers somewhere above Advance Base Camp at approximately 19,000 feet. Colorado climber Conrad Anker was also caught in the avalanche and not seriously injured.
Widely-revered in the alpine world, Lowe, 41, a resident of Bozeman, MT, and Bridges, 29, of Aspen, CO, were climbing the Swiss-Polish route on Shishapangma. The team then planned to ski down the 26,291-foot peak in Chinese Tibet.
Lowe, once named the world's best climber by Outside Magazine, had compiled an impressive resume of climbs and first ascents including an ascent this August of Great Trango Tower in Pakistan. Lowe was a long-time member of The North Face climbing team, a devoted husband and father of three.
According to Cynthia Land of MountainZone, all reports on the situation on Shishpangma are preliminary and an update is not expected until late this evening.
