It is not the news anyone was hoping for, but what many had begun to fear was coming.
The father of missing Squamish climber Marc-André Leclerc announced late Tuesday that his son and climbing partner Ryan Johnson are dead.
“Sadly we have lost two really great climbers and I lost a son I am very proud of. Thank you for the support during this difficult time,” wrote Serge Leclerc in a Facebook post.
“My heart is so broken. Part of me is gone with him,” he said, thanking friends and family for their prayers during the search.
It has been one week since the two men were reported missing after they failed to return from a climb in the Alaskan Mendenhall Ice Field.
The pair were dropped off by a chartered helicopter near the Mendenhall Towers on March 4, attempting a route on the unclimbed north face of the Fourth Tower. They were last in touch with friends after summiting the towers the following day.
They planned to go back to Juneau on skis, but didn’t return as expected last Wednesday night after a snowstorm hit the area. The snowstorm hampered search efforts, giving helicopters limited windows to search the area.
Clear weather on Tuesday allowed for the search to continue on the north face of the towers. The rescuers located an intact anchor rope at the top of an ice chute on the Fourth Tower.
Two climbing ropes matching the description of Leclerc and Johnson’s gear were seen in a crevasse midway down the tower. Due to avalanche danger and other safety hazards, recovery is too dangerous at this time for the searchers.
"Essentially, we believe that they are down a crevasse and it’s not safe for people to go down there for further efforts. It’s just unsafe, and they are presumed deceased at this time,” said Alaska State Trooper spokesperson Megan Peters.
Peters said safety conditions around the crevasse may not improve until summer.
Both men were experienced climbers. Johnson, 34, is from Juneau while Leclerc, 24, was born and raised in B.C. and most recently lived in Squamish.
“Marc-André was an amazing, loving man and he has touched many lives in so many ways. He will be remembered and loved forever. I know he is with our Lord and I will be with him again one day,” continued Leclerc in his statement.
Leclerc was a regular face at the annual Arc'teryx Climbing Academy in Squamish.
Company spokesperson John Irvine said the 24-year-old athlete will be remembered as a prodigy who was quick to share his knowledge and passion for the sport.
“He did more in that 14 years than most people do in a lifetime,” said Irvine.
“He developed a skill set and a confidence that a lot of people can’t achieve. That allowed him to put himself in exploratory places. It’s a fondness for the mountains and his fondness for adventure and his fondness for discovery. I think we all have that to some extent, but Marc embodied that. The pursuit of adventure was what inspired him.”
In his last post to social media Leclerc shared a photo of blue skies on Instagram from the summit of the Fourth Tower. There was no sign of the oncoming snowstorm.
Cell service is rare in the area, but Irvine said Leclerc was able to call his father and a few friends from the summit before they began their descent.
At home, the Squamish climbing community has rallied to support Leclerc and his family.
The online fundraiser was launched on Sunday to help support the family with rescue efforts and raised close to $40,000 in just three days.
Any money raised for Leclerc will now go to his family and his partner and fellow climber Brette Harrington, according to organizers of the campaign.
A second GoFundMe campaign to support Johnson and his two-year-old son has raised more than $31,000 as of Wednesday morning.
