Climber’s Body Found in Snow on Mt. Shasta

Rescue teams found the body Friday of one of two Mt. Shasta climbers who had been missing in snowy conditions for two days.

Around 2:30 p.m., a California Highway Patrol officer in a helicopter spotted the body of Craig Heimstra on a section of Mt. Shasta’s west slope, at an elevation of 10,000 feet.

Heimstra, of Essex, England, and 45-year-old John F. Miksits of Sacramento disappeared Wednesday morning after becoming disoriented as they descended from the 14,162-foot Mt. Shasta summit, officials said.

Weather conditions at the time were severe, with snow and 50-to-70-mph winds, said Grizz Adams of the Siskiyou County sheriff’s search and rescue team.

“In a whiteout condition like that, you could walk right by somebody and not even see them,” Adams said.

Two other members of the climbing group had decided not to try for the summit that day and remained in camp. The two are from Sacramento and their names have not been released.

Adams did not know Heimstra’s exact age, but said he was probably in his 40s. Heimstra had relatives in Chowchilla, Calif.

Both Heimstra and Miksits were said to be experienced climbers who carried survival equipment including a tent, sleeping bags, food and a stove.

The search for Miksits was to resume today at 8 a.m.

“We’re still remaining hopeful we’ll be able to find the other missing person,” Adams said. “We’ve received information indicating that in such conditions he probably would have built a snow cave, so we hope that’s the case.”