In the search for Dutch climber Christiaan Wilson, who has been missing since May 16th, a piece of a helmet has been found that is most likely his. It was found near Swiss Camp on the route that Wilson planned to take. The piece is clearly part of a Petzl Sirocco helmet. A traveling companion who was with Wilson earlier on in his trip, has confirmed that he did indeed have one of these helmets.
Not weathered
The piece of the helmet was found in a hard to access spot, at a narrowing of a stream. According to Paul van der Laan, who is searching for the climber together with a group of friends and a group of climbing experts, the material shows no weathering by sun or water. This could indicate that the material had only been there briefly and confirms the assumption that the piece is part of Wilson’s helmet. Paul had to descend with a length of climbing rope to get to the piece.
Time is short, monsoon starting soon
Based on the discovery of the piece of helmet and the location where it was found, the team searching for the Dutchman is drawing up new scenarios. The team will continue its search, with the aid of search and rescue dogs and the support of various climbing experts. However, time is running out since the monsoon is coming, which will greatly hinder their search efforts. Yesterday, one of the friends on the search team reported a landslide in the area. In the coming period, ongoing rain will only increase the likelihood of landslides.
Disappearance
On April 17th, Christiaan departed for a trip of 35 to 40 days to the summit of the 8167 meter high Dhaulagiri in the Himalayas. This mountain is located about 500 kilometers from Mount Everest. He was with Jordan, a climbing friend from the United States. On May 4th, Jordan suspended his ascent and went back down to civilization on his own.
Christiaan last used his satellite phone on May 15th, and didn’t respond to text messages that were sent later. Various eye-witnesses saw him depart in the direction of Italian camp on May 16th. Since then, there’s been no trace of him.
NOTE FOR EDITORS
For more information, please contact the ‘Stichting Red Christiaan Wilson’ via [email protected] or +31 (0)20-760 19 81.
Foto van Christiaan Wilson met de specifieke helm. (Geen grotere resolutie beschikbaar)
Photo of Christiaan Wilson with the helmet in question. (Higher resolution not available.)
Petzl Sirocco helm
Overview Map Swiss camp related to Italian camp (right above in the corner is Dhaulagiri basecamp)
