Renowned mountain climber Jess Roskelley is among three presumed dead after an avalanche in Canada's Banff National Park

  • Jess Roskelley, David Lama and Hansjorg Auer were attempting to climb Howse Peak in Canada's Banff National Park on Wednesday when an avalanche struck 
  • Canadian officials say they are now assuming the worst
  • Recovery efforts are on hold because of a continued risk of avalanches
  • The trio are well-known climbers who are members of North Face's Global Athlete Team
  • The outdoor apparel company says it is doing what it can to support the climbers' families and friends.

Renowned U.S. mountain climber Jess Roskelley is one of three men presumed dead after an avalanche in Canada's Banff National Park on Wednesday. 

The 36-year-old was attempting to climb the east face of Howse Peak on the Icefield Parkway with Austrians David Lama, 28, and Hansjorg Auer, 35, when the mass of snow hit. 

The trio failed to return from their expedition that evening and Canadian officials are now saying that they are assuming the worst. 

Roskelley, Lama and Auer are all highly-experienced climbers who are members of North Face's Global Athlete Team. 

Jess Rosekelley, 36, of Spokane, Washington, is presumed dead after failing to return from a climbing expedition in Banff National Park Wednesday

Jess Rosekelley, 36, of Spokane, Washington, is presumed dead after failing to return from a climbing expedition in Banff National Park Wednesday

Hansjorg Auer, 35, is also presumed to have died in the avalanche
David Lama, 28, was the third climber who failed to return from the expedition, with authorities assuming the worst

Hansjorg Auer, 35, and David Lama, 28, both of Austria, are also presumed to have been killed in an avalanche 

The outdoor apparel company says it is doing what it can to support the climbers' families and friends.

Officials say recovery efforts are on hold because of a continued risk of avalanches.

Parks Canada says safety specialists immediately responded by air and observed signs of multiple avalanches and debris containing climbing equipment.

Roskelley, of Spokane, Washington, made headlines in 2003, after climbing Mount Everest at the age of 20. 

The trio were attempting to climb the east face of Howse Peak on the Icefield Parkway,pictured

The trio were attempting to climb the east face of Howse Peak on the Icefield Parkway (pictured)

At the time he was the youngest American to reach the world's highest peak.

He made the journey with his father, climber John Roskelley as part of an expedition named 'Generations on Everest'.

Roskelley Sr. told The Spokesman-Review on Thursday that the route his son and the other climbers were attempting was first done in 2000.

'It's just one of those routes where you have to have the right conditions or it turns into a nightmare. This is one of those trips where it turned into a nightmare,' he stated. 

He told the paper he was preparing to travel to Banff to collecting his son's belongings and see if he could access the area.   

Meanwhile, Lama and Auer are also well-known in the climbing community. 

Lama, who has 113,000 Instagram followers, last year reached the summit of Lunag  Ri, Nepal's tallest unclimbed peak. 

Auer, who was previously a high school maths and sports teacher, began his professional climbing career in 2009. 

He published a coffee-table book of climbing photos in 2017. 

Parks Canada say recovery efforts are on hold in the area (pictured) because of a continued risk of avalanches

Parks Canada say recovery efforts are on hold in the area (pictured) because of a continued risk of avalanches 

 

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