Mountain Rescue Aspen volunteers headed back out to Pyramid Peak via a helicopter early Tuesday morning to continue searching for a Denver hiker missing since Sunday afternoon, an official said.
A medical helicopter out of Grand Junction ferried the MRA searchers to a spot near the amphitheater below Pyramid’s north face about 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, said Alex Burchetta, director of operations for the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.
The 66-year-old man, who became separated from three others in his party as they descended the mountain Sunday afternoon, was last seen at about 13,000 feet at the top of the saddle that leads to the northeast summit ridge, Burchetta said.
Officials also will use a drone Tuesday to target specific areas of the mountain in the search for the man, Burchetta said.
The man was first reported missing late Sunday afternoon or early evening, though MRA volunteers did not head into the field until Monday morning, he said. MRA and the Sheriff’s Office do not undertake nighttime missions unless there’s a confirmed need, such as an injury, Burchetta said.
No one has seen the man, said to be an experienced climber, since about 2 p.m. Sunday, he said.
Voluntary separation among climbing parties is the leading cause of MRA-led searches in the backcountry, Burchetta said.
This is a developing story that will be updated.