Ryan Cooper and his brother Wesley Warne were descending Peru’s highest mountain, Huascarán, on June 27 when they noticed an unusual shape on the glacier. Upon closer inspection, they discovered it was a mummified human body, still wearing a helmet, boots, and jacket. The remains were identified as Bill Stampfl, a 58-year-old American climber who went missing in an avalanche on June 24, 2002, along with his climbing partners Matthew Richardson and Steve Erskine.
Cooper and his group had turned back from their ascent due to dangerous conditions and were using an older, less-used route when they found Stampfl’s body. They located identification documents and other belongings in a fanny pack attached to the remains. Cooper contacted his wife in Las Vegas, who helped track down Stampfl’s family.
He then reached out to Stampfl’s son, Joseph, and later to his widow, Janet Stampfl-Raymer, and daughter, Jennifer. The family hired an alpine rescue team to recover the remains, which were sent to Lima for cremation.
Climbers discover mummified remains
They plan to scatter Stampfl’s ashes on Mount Baldy in California, where he had trained for his mountaineering expeditions. The discovery of Stampfl’s body is a result of climate change, as warming temperatures cause glaciers to melt and expose long-lost human remains. The Cordillera Blanca mountain range, which includes Huascarán, has lost 27 percent of its ice sheet in the last 50 years.
While Stampfl’s remains have been found, his climbing partner Matthew Richardson’s body is still missing. In 2002, only Steve Erskine’s body was recovered after the avalanche. The discovery brings closure to Stampfl’s family after more than two decades of uncertainty.
Jennifer Stampfl said, “It really took a few minutes to just, actually, process what I was hearing.”
As glaciers continue to melt due to climate change, more bodies of long-lost climbers are being discovered in mountain ranges around the world, including the Alps and the Himalayas. This phenomenon is both a blessing for families seeking closure and a grim task for those responsible for recovering the remains.
