Experienced Climber Missing in the Alps

Hungarian alpinist and accomplished high altitude skier Ákos Győrffy, 36, is missing near the Monte Rosa massif, which lies on the border of Switzerland and Italy. He left solo last weekend with a paraglider with plans to return within a day or two.

Search and rescue searched for Győrffy on Wednesday but poor conditions limited their search time. His last GPS was near Capanna Gniefetti around 3,650 metres. The area is known for having large crevasses along the glacier route to the hut.

The search continued on Thursday morning with the Aosta Valley Mountain Rescue Service’s sending air and ground units. Győrffy had skied from the summits of dozens of remote peaks. In 2022, he became the first Hungarian to ski Ibn Sina (7,134 m).

Győrffy was scheduled to travel to the Himalaya this week with the Kalifa Alpine Team to attempt the world’s third highest peak, the 8,586-metre Kangchenjunga, without an oxygen tank. It was meant to be a tribute climb to five climbers who died in 2013.