{"id":24575,"date":"2024-12-03T21:19:53","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T04:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-alpinist-kurt-blair-presumed-dead-on-new-zealand-peak\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:56:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:56:14","slug":"durango-alpinist-kurt-blair-presumed-dead-on-new-zealand-peak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-alpinist-kurt-blair-presumed-dead-on-new-zealand-peak\/","title":{"rendered":"Durango alpinist Kurt Blair presumed dead on New Zealand peak"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Durango
Durango alpinist Kurt Blair, 56, is missing and presumed dead on Aoraki\/Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain. Blair and two other climbers were reported missing Dec. 2, and search and rescue teams have located gear presumed to belong to the party.(Courtesy San Juan Mountain Guides)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Durangoan Kurt Blair, an internationally certified mountain guide known throughout the San Juan Mountains as an affable, empathic and highly skilled professional, is missing and presumed dead on Aoraki, New Zealands\u2019s highest mountain.<\/p>\n

Blair, 56, was guiding a trip on the peak, also known as Mt. Cook, his sister Katrina Blair said.<\/p>\n

He and two other climbers, American guide Carlos Romero and an unidentified Canadian national, were reported overdue on Dec. 2, according to New Zealand police.<\/a><\/p>\n

Search and rescue authorities told Michael Ackerman, executive director of Silverton Avalanche School and a colleague of Kurt\u2019s, that gear spotted on the mountain indicates the party fell high on the mountain from an unsurvivable perch. No bodies had been recovered as of Tuesday afternoon, and weather conditions will likely prevent further search activity until Thursday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was living his dream,\u201d Katrina said of her older brother. \u201c\u2026 Mt. Cook was one of those incredible dream-come-true mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

The party was climbing Zurbriggen Ridge, a technical alpine route on the 12,218-foot peak. The three men flew to the Plateau Hut, at 7,200 feet, the afternoon of Nov. 30 and were supposed to meet a flight off the mountain Dec. 2. They were reported missing after they did not show up for the 8:30 a.m. transport.<\/p>\n

\"Aoraki\/Mount
Aoraki\/Mount Cook is New Zealand\u2019s tallest mountain at 12,218 feet in elevation. (Carey J. Williams\/Associated Press file)<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Erratic weather conditions in recent days covered the mountain in rime ice \u2013 often fragile water droplets supercooled to surfaces \u2013 which could have presented a major hazard to the climbers, Ackerman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were up high, they ran into something \u2013 I think that\u2019ll remain a mystery forever \u2013 and it appears like it knocks them off their stance,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd in mountaineering, it\u2019s the brotherhood of the rope. When you\u2019re tied together, you sink or swim together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kurt Roberts MacLeod Blair was born in Great Lakes, Illinois to Patricia and Robert Blair, Jr., and grew up in Durango. His family lived for a time in New Zealand, where Kurt\u2019s late father studied the geology of Aoraki, sparking a lifelong interest in the peak.<\/p>\n

\"IFMGA-certified
IFMGA-certified guide Kurt Blair is missing and presumed dead on Aoraki\/Mount Cook, New Zealand's highest mountain. \u201cHe was just very thorough and deliberate with how he worked with people, super professional, very affable (and) approachable \u2013 all the things that really lended itself well to being a great instructor and a great partner in the mountains,\u201d said Nate Disser, owner of San Juan Mountain Guides where Blair worked. (Courtesy San Juan Mountain Guides)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The son and grandson of accomplished climbers (Kurt\u2019s grandfather, Robert Blair Sr. made first ascents throughout the San Juans<\/a>), Kurt wanted to be a mountain guide from an early age. He received bachelors degrees from both Reed College, in Portland, Oregon, and the Colorado School of Mines. After a career in information technology working for the Southern Ute Growth Fund, Kurt switched paths in 2016 and began work at San Juan Mountain Guides.<\/p>\n

He would go on to become one of the company\u2019s most illustrious guides, said SJMG Owner Nate Disser. Kurt was not guiding for the company when he went missing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was just very thorough and deliberate with how he worked with people, super professional, very affable (and) approachable \u2013 all the things that really lended itself well to being a great instructor and a great partner in the mountains,\u201d Disser said.<\/p>\n

Kurt was the most likely guide to stay at Red Mountain Alpine Lodge, which Disser also owns, where he thrived in backcountry milieu and steeped clients and staff in his effusive positivity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t like he was trying. That\u2019s just who he was,\u201d Disser said.<\/p>\n

Friends and colleagues say Kurt had an unflappable calm in the mountains, even in the face of near-misses and dangerous predicaments; his confident but kind presence drew clients back to him time and time again.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time I would let an expletive fly from my mouth in Kurt\u2019s presence, I felt like I needed to apologize,\u201d Ackerman said. \u201cHe was the consummate humble professional.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kurt invested heavily in his professional education, and in 2023 was certified by the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations,<\/a> making him one of just 194 Americans who hold the certification. He was an accomplished rock climber, alpinist and skier with worldwide adventures under his belt. He was also a certified avalanche educator and was set to start teaching professional-level courses this season.<\/p>\n

The IFMGA pin, as the certification is colloquially known, allowed Kurt to guide on mountains around the world. And that opportunity was nothing short of a lifelong dream, Katrina said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe never took shortcuts, he lead by example,\u201d said Joe Kinner, a colleague of Kurt\u2019s from SJMG, in a message to The Durango Herald<\/em>. \u201cKurt was an amazing human, and he will be missed by many. I feel lucky to have worked with him, and will try and make him proud by continuing his legacy of kindness, and top notch education and guiding in the mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Kurt
Kurt Blair invested heavily in his professional education, and in 2023 was certified by the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations, making him one of just 194 Americans who hold the certification. (Courtesy Steven Van Sickle\/San Juan Mountain Guides)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In addition to his sister, Kurt is survived by his mother, Pat Blair, and two adult sons, Dylan and Galen Blair.<\/p>\n

He was a caring father and son, his family said. Pat, 82, recalled with joy the time Kurt skied the 2 miles into the Silver Star Hut in La Plata Canyon, towing her on a sled behind him so the family could spend Christmas together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept falling into the ditch!\u201d she said with a delighted laugh. \u201cHe\u2019d be up above in the road and I\u2019d be in the ditch.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his absence, Katrina said Kurt\u2019s life is an inspirational example of passion followed to the fullest.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just was taking life in full, not holding back and just really fulfilling all of his dreams, and doing it with kindness to other people at the same time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A celebration of life has not yet been planned.<\/p>\n

rschafir@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This story has been updated to reflect that Kurt Blair was born in Great Lakes, Illinois. Incorrect information was given to the Herald<\/em>. The spelling of his middle name has also been updated.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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