YOUR AD HERE »

Hiker missing on Pyramid Peak not found in snowy conditions Monday

Staff report

Volunteers spent a frigid Monday searching fruitlessly for a lone climber who reportedly didn’t return from Pyramid Peak on Sunday, sources said.

Ryan Montoya, 23, and originally from California, left Boulder on Saturday, though it’s unclear when he began climbing the 14,026-foot peak located just south of Aspen, said Pitkin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jesse Steindler. His father in California called the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office about 8:50 p.m. Sunday to report him overdue, according to Steindler and a statement from the Sheriff’s Office.

On Monday, six Mountain Rescue Aspen volunteers searched for Montoya during windy, arctic conditions, and were able to find a snow cave at the bottom of Pyramid’s West Face they believe Montoya might have used, according to Steindler and the statement. However, they did not find Montoya, he said.



Wind gusts of 95 mph were recorded Monday atop Pyramid Peak amid the cold and snowy conditions, he said.

Mountain Rescue teams will resume the search Tuesday, Steindler said. The weather conditions are expected to break around 11 a.m., which should aid in the search, he said.