A distinguished photographer and mountain climber who previously lived in St. Paul has been confirmed dead after going missing while climbing Artesonraju Mountain in Peru.
Edson Vandeira and two other climbers began climbing on May 29 and were last heard from on June 1. Earlier this week, an announcement from the Association of Mountain Guides of Peru revealed that the three climbers had been found dead and a recovery mission for their bodies was in progress.
Vandeira, 36, lived in St. Paul from 2020 to 2024. He was an established photographer whose work appeared in National Geographic. The other victims have been identified as Efrain Pretel Alonzo, 34, and Jesus Manuel Picon Huerta, 31, both of Peru.
According to a GoFundMe for Vandeira and his team, their tent was found empty and there were signs that they had reached the summit before “something serious had possibly happened during the descent.”…