Avalanche victim a true mountaineer
A recent Calgary Herald article on a spring fatality in Alaska:
Friends of a Canmore man who died in an avalanche in Alaska remember him as a skilled mountaineer and patient guide who loved the mountains.
Jiro Kurihara, 33, died in a recent avalanche along with a Japanese friend on Mount Frances near the continent's highest peak, Mount McKinley.
Len Youden, general manager of Yamnuska Mountain Adventures in Canmore, where Kurihara had worked as a guide, said Kurihara was an experienced mountain climber and was looking to challenge himself.
"He's one of the nicest people you could ever meet. A very passionate photographer, very passionate mountain guide. He was very excited about his training trip," said Youden.
"He just loved being out in the mountains."
Kurihara and his partner, a friend from university in Japan, were attempting to be the first to climb the west face of Mount Frances when the avalanche hit.
The western face of the mountain features rock, snow and hard-packed ice.
They arrived in the area in late April and, after reaching the summit of McKinley and returning to base camp, they decided to climb the second mountain, but no one heard back from them.
Searchers spotted one man's body on Tuesday and the other on Wednesday.
"It was unwitnessed, so it's unknown if it was an avalanche they triggered or triggered up high and took them along with it," said Denali National Park spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin.
Kris Irwin climbed frequently with Kurihara and said his friend was excited about the trip. "He always wanted to go to Alaska. He wanted to climb McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America. It has a lot of draw for climbers," said Irwin.
"It was another opportunity for Jiro to get in the mountains and challenge himself."
Youden said Kurihara loved his adopted home town.
"He came here to take a mountain program and he really fell in love with the mountains and decided to stay," said Youden.
"We're all very sad and just shocked by this and, obviously, all very upset. We're doing whatever we can to support his family right now."
He leaves behind a wife. Friend Brian Merry said Kurihara was well known in Banff's mountaineering circles.
"The Canadian Rockies are getting quite a good reputation around the world as a good, low-altitude difficult route training ground, so when you go to altitude you have lots of skills already gained in the Rockies," said Merry.
His remains, and that of climbing partner Junya Shiraishi, 28, of Sapporo, Japan, were recovered Wednesday.