Two American mountaineering explorers who went missing in Tibet’s high mountains 16 years ago have recently had their bodies recovered. The 40-year-old Lowe and 29-year-old photographer were found encased in shimmering blue ice. Lowe’s widow confirmed the discovery of their remains, describing the pair as being “frozen in time.”
According to AFP reports, in October 1999, Alex Lowe from the United States and adventure photographer David Bridges were climbing Shisha Pangma, which stands at 8,027 meters above sea level within Chinese territory, when they were swept away by an avalanche of snow and ice.
Lowe was considered one of the most important mountaineers of his time, and he and Bridges were close friends as well as climbing partners. Lowe had hoped to become the first American to ski down Shisha Pangma, but the relentless snow and ice claimed him and left him missing for years.
Another climber, Conrad Anker, was also part of the group at the time and managed to survive the avalanche. He later married Lowe’s widow and adopted Lowe’s three sons. Anker said that finding the two men’s remains brought “a sense of closure, finally laying a heavy burden to rest” for the families. In an interview with an outdoor magazine, he stated that it was “the most fitting outcome imaginable” for fellow mountaineers to recover the bodies of fallen climbers.
A statement from the Lowe Foundation noted that last week, two other mountaineers discovered the remains of the two men, which “were encased in pale blue ice but had begun to emerge from the glacier.” The bodies will be retrieved, though the method of transporting them out of the glacier has not yet been decided.
Lowe’s widow said that the family plans to make a pilgrimage to Shisha Pangma, adding, “It’s time for Alex to rest in peace.”
(Group wire report)