Search suspended for missing climber in Waddington mountain range
Laurel Fan was climbing the Serra Two peak when she fell on July 24
The search to find a missing climber in the Waddington Mountain Range has been suspended.
Alexis Creek RCMP say search teams were unable to find 33-year-old Laurel Fan of Seattle, Washington who fell while ascending the Serra Two peak this past Sunday.
Police were first notified on July 25 that Fan had fallen while ascending the mountain at an altitude of just over 3,300 metres.
"Given that the fall distance exceeded several hundred feet, searchers have made the determination that there was an extreme unlikelihood of her surviving the fall," said RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk in a statement.
"The Alexis Creek RCMP has been in contact with Laurel Fan's family throughout the week and is continuing to provide support to them."
'Extreme' conditions
Fan was climbing the peak on July 24 with two other climbers who saw her fall. Being unable to make visual contact with Fan, the group descended to a base camp that morning to call for help.
A search team of three Parks Canada climbers and two search and rescue technicians responded and began searching the area around the peak on July 27.
Snow conditions indicated that a number of natural avalanches had occurred in the area since the climber's fall on Sunday.
Moskaluk added that due to the extreme conditions, search crews were only able to search the mountain face for three hours each day early in the morning.