Matias Augusto Travizano: Tech CEO dies after falling off Mount Shasta in California

A climb up one of California’s most iconic mountains has ended in tragedy for an Argentinian tech entrepreneur after he fell to his death only moments after reaching the summit.

Matias Augusto Travizano, 45, was the co-founder and former CEO of Grandata, a technology company, and had been involved with several other ventures in the tech and artificial intelligence sectors.

On the morning of September 12, Mr Travizano and two other climbers reached the peak of Mount Shasta, a 14,000-foot (4.2km) stratovolcano in Siskiyou County, California, via the Clear Creek climbing route.

According to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, two of the climbers lost track of the trail during their descent and became stranded on an ice sheet located at the northern tip of Wintun Glacier, at approximately 13,500 (4.1km) feet elevation.

The pair attempted to slide down the icy terrain to rejoin the trail at a lower elevation. However, during the manoeuvre, Mr Travizano lost control and slid down the glacier, colliding with a boulder roughly 300 feet (91m) below the other climber.

He appeared to be knocked unconscious.

The second climber tried to reach him but was only able to get within 80 feet (24m) before Mr Travizano regained consciousness.

“Mr Travizano regained consciousness and started moving,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

“Tragically, this movement dislodged him from the rock and he slid down the remainder of the glacier and out of sight.”

Mr Travizano had fallen nearly 2000 feet (609m). After several hours of search and rescue operations by ground and air teams, his body was located at an elevation of 10,200 feet (3.1km) near the base of Wintun Glacier.

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office extended “heartfelt condolences” to his family and loved ones.

Mr Travizano graduated from the University of Buenos Aires in 2004 and was serving as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley at the time of his death.

Officials also issued a warning about the Clear Creek Trail, where the incident occurred. Although considered one of the safer routes to the summit, the trail has proven hazardous under certain conditions.

“While the Clear Creek Route is considered one of the mountain’s ‘safer’ trails to the summit, climbers can become disoriented in low-visibility conditions, particularly when descending from the summit plateau,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Once off trail, these climbers often wander into more hazardous areas in the Ash Creek or Mud Creek drainages, where accidents are more likely to occur.”

Mount Shasta averages one death per year but remains a popular destination for climbers.