Bodies of US climbers found in Peru mountains

The bodies of two climbers, both from the US, have been found on Mount Palcaraju in Peru. Both were members of the pullharder.org climbers' collective.

The two climbers were Gil Weiss and Ben Horne. They are believed to have been killed by falling over 1,000ft from a ridge along the Peruvian Andes, according to the Denver Post. The climbers were scaling the western summit of Mount Palcaraju, which is almost 20,000 feet high, and is located in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range. The two climbers started their ascent on July 11 and had been missing ever since. Weiss was aged 29 and Horne 32. Their bodies were found by a search and rescue helicopter. According to the Daily Mail, Weiss wrote the following entry on his blog site a day before the climb: "I sit here in a coffee shop in Huaraz, Peru, planning another foray into the Cordillera Blanca,' Mr Weiss wrote on July 10, 'where the sense that one's life is in the hands of the mountains can be as blinding as the endless white glaciers, and a thirst for glory can darken our better judgment more than the blackness of night." Due to a lack of contact with the pair their families naturally became worried and rescue teams had been searching for the fair for five days before the bodies were discovered. The BBC notes that six other mountaineers have lost their lives in the range so far this season.