Durangoan Kurt Blair, an internationally certified mountain guide known throughout the San Juan Mountains as an affable, empathic and highly skilled professional, is missing and presumed dead on Aoraki, New Zealands’s highest mountain.
Blair, 56, was guiding a trip on the peak, also known as Mt. Cook, his sister Katrina Blair said.
He and two other climbers, American guide Carlos Romero and an unidentified Canadian national, were reported overdue on Dec. 2, according to New Zealand police.
Search and rescue authorities told Michael Ackerman, executive director of Silverton Avalanche School and a colleague of Kurt’s, that gear spotted on the mountain indicates the party fell high on the mountain from an unsurvivable perch. No bodies had been recovered as of Tuesday afternoon, and weather conditions will likely prevent further search activity until Thursday.
“He was living his dream,” Katrina said of her older brother. “… Mt. Cook was one of those incredible dream-come-true mountains.”
The party was climbing Zurbriggen Ridge, a technical alpine route on the 12,218-foot peak. The three men flew to the Plateau Hut, at 7,200 feet, the afternoon of Nov. 30 and were supposed to meet a flight off the mountain Dec. 2. They were reported missing after they did not show up for the 8:30 a.m. transport.
Erratic weather conditions in recent days covered the mountain in rime ice – often fragile water droplets supercooled to surfaces – which could have presented a major hazard to the climbers, Ackerman said.
“They were up high, they ran into something – I think that'll remain a mystery forever – and it appears like it knocks them off their stance,” he said. “And in mountaineering, it's the brotherhood of the rope. When you're tied together, you sink or swim together.”
Kurt Robert MacLeod Blair was born in Great Lakes, Illinois to Patricia and Robert Blair, Jr., and grew up in Durango. His family lived for a time in New Zealand, where Kurt’s late father studied the geology of Aoraki, sparking a lifelong interest in the peak.
The son and grandson of accomplished climbers (Kurt’s grandfather, Robert Blair Sr. made first ascents throughout the San Juans), Kurt wanted to be a mountain guide from an early age. He received bachelors degrees from both Reed College, in Portland, Oregon, and the Colorado School of Mines. After a career in information technology working for the Southern Ute Growth Fund, Kurt switched paths in 2016 and began work at San Juan Mountain Guides.
He would go on to become one of the company’s most illustrious guides, said SJMG Owner Nate Disser. Kurt was not guiding for the company when he went missing.
“He was just very thorough and deliberate with how he worked with people, super professional, very affable (and) approachable – all the things that really lended itself well to being a great instructor and a great partner in the mountains,” Disser said.
Kurt was the most likely guide to stay at Red Mountain Alpine Lodge, which Disser also owns, where he thrived in backcountry milieu and steeped clients and staff in his effusive positivity.
“It wasn't like he was trying. That's just who he was,” Disser said.
Friends and colleagues say Kurt had an unflappable calm in the mountains, even in the face of near-misses and dangerous predicaments; his confident but kind presence drew clients back to him time and time again.
“Every time I would let an expletive fly from my mouth in Kurt's presence, I felt like I needed to apologize,” Ackerman said. “He was the consummate humble professional.”
Kurt invested heavily in his professional education, and in 2023 was certified by the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations, making him one of just 194 Americans who hold the certification. He was an accomplished rock climber, alpinist and skier with worldwide adventures under his belt. He was also a certified avalanche educator and was set to start teaching professional-level courses this season.
The IFMGA pin, as the certification is colloquially known, allowed Kurt to guide on mountains around the world. And that opportunity was nothing short of a lifelong dream, Katrina said.
“He never took shortcuts, he lead by example,” said Joe Kinner, a colleague of Kurt’s from SJMG, in a message to The Durango Herald. “Kurt was an amazing human, and he will be missed by many. I feel lucky to have worked with him, and will try and make him proud by continuing his legacy of kindness, and top notch education and guiding in the mountains.”
In addition to his sister, Kurt is survived by his mother, Pat Blair, and two adult sons, Dylan and Galen Blair.
He was a caring father and son, his family said. Pat, 82, recalled with joy the time Kurt skied the 2 miles into the Silver Star Hut in La Plata Canyon, towing her on a sled behind him so the family could spend Christmas together.
“I kept falling into the ditch!” she said with a delighted laugh. “He’d be up above in the road and I’d be in the ditch.”
In his absence, Katrina said Kurt’s life is an inspirational example of passion followed to the fullest.
“He just was taking life in full, not holding back and just really fulfilling all of his dreams, and doing it with kindness to other people at the same time,” she said.
A celebration of life has not yet been planned.
rschafir@durangoherald.com
This story has been updated to reflect that Kurt Blair was born in Great Lakes, Illinois. Incorrect information was given to the Herald.
