A Texas family is mourning a climber who had recently bet her future on the mountains she loved. Relatives of 39-year-old San Antonio resident Mallory Geis confirmed she was among 10 people killed in an avalanche on Broad Peak in Pakistan's Karakoram range, reports KSAT, and said in a statement she was "a bright light" who will be "profoundly missed." They thanked supporters for the messages they've received and asked for privacy as they absorb what they called an "unimaginable loss."
Geis was on her first attempt to summit an 8,000-meter peak, part of an international expedition led by famed Nepal-born mountaineer Nirmal "Nims" Purja and organized by Pakistani outfitter Moving Mountains. The team, which included climbers from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, the US, and at least one from China, lost contact with base camp Thursday; all 10 were later confirmed dead. Geis had recently closed her San Antonio Pilates studio to pursue climbing, notes CNN, writing that she was taking a "giant leap of faith into the unknown."
Before the fateful hike up Broad Peak, she posted this: "I'm heading out for my first big kid climbing expedition ... Let's see if we can get this body and these boots up Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain in the world." A fellow climber described her as a natural athlete who respected the risks: "She was wanting to learn and grow. That's what brought her to her happy place."
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