San Antonio resident Mallory Geis, 39, has been identified as one of four climbers killed after an avalanche struck one of the world’s tallest mountains in northern Pakistan.
Her family on Saturday issued a statement confirming her death.
“Mallory was a bright light who was loved deeply by her family and friends,” the statement read. “She will be profoundly missed.”
The family said they were “heartbroken for all the families impacted by this tragic event.” They asked for privacy to “process this unimaginable loss away from public attention.” They said they were grateful for the outpouring of love and support they had received.
Geis was part of a 10-member international expedition attempting to summit Broad Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram range. At roughly 26,400 feet above sea level, Broad Peak is the world’s 12th-highest mountain. An avalanche struck around midday Thursday, severing communication between the climbing team and its base camp, the Times reported.
The avalanche prompted a large-scale search involving the Pakistani military and emergency crews, though rescue efforts have been hampered by hazardous weather and limited helicopter access.
Pakistani officials said the remains of four individuals have been recovered as of Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported. Six other members of the expedition remain missing.
Geis, who lived in San Antonio, announced in a February 20 social media post that she was closing her Pilates studio to take “a giant leap of faith into the unknown to see where life goes. I have a sneaking suspicion there will be lots of helmets, harnesses, and crampons involved.”
The Broad Peak expedition included Geis, four Nepali climbers, Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi of Hunza, Omani climber Nathira, a Chinese climber identified as Wang and another foreign climber whose identity has not been released.
Also on the expedition was renowned Nepali-British climber Nirmal Purja, who set a world record in 2019 by summiting all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks in just over six months.
His feat was chronicled in the 2021 Netflix documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.”
Late last month, Pakistan-based travel company Moving Mountains announced that the expedition team was traveling to the town of Askole and wished the climbers a safe journey to Broad Peak.
According to the company, the climb marked Geis’ first attempt to summit a peak higher than 26,200 feet in Pakistan.