The family of missing B.C. rock climber Marc-André Leclerc is reporting on social media that Leclerc and his climbing partner have died while attempting a new route on a mountain in Alaska.
Serge Leclerc posted the message on his public Facebook page late Tuesday night but offered no details.
He said two great climbers have been lost and he has lost a son he is really proud of.
"Marc-André was an amazing, loving man and he has touched many lives in so many ways," he wrote.
LeClerc, pictured with partner and fellow climber Brette Harrington in February, 'was an amazing, loving man and he has touched many lives in so many ways,' his dad wrote on Facebook. (Brette Harrington/Instagram)
Leclerc, 24, of Squamish, and Ryan Johnson, 34, of Juneau hadn't been heard from since March 5 when they posted a photo from the top of the Mendenhall Towers, about 20 kilometres north of the Alaskan capital.
Poor weather hampered search efforts when the men were reported overdue later that week, but crews were able to search the north face of the mountain on Tuesday.
Further information from the Alaska State Troopers is expected later Wednesday.
Climbing 'visionary'
Leclerc was considered a gifted climber, having spent "his life on the mountain."
He had worked with Arc'teryx as a sponsored athlete for five years.
Company spokesperson John Irvine described both Leclerc and Johnson as extremely experienced athletes.
Irvine said Leclerc was "a visionary" in the sport.
"He just encourages people to get out and get a piece of that magic."
On Saturday, Toby Foord-Kelcey with the Squamish Access Society — a climbing advocacy group — said Leclerc was "very widely admired and liked" in the town's climbing community.
"Marc comes [across] as a very a modest guy who is primarily motivated by his love of being in the mountains, and quite reluctant to talk about his achievements," Foord-Kelcey said.
"However, objectively, he is one of the most accomplished and bold young mountaineers in the world."
Foord-Kelcey noted Leclerc's solo ascents of Cerro Torre in Patagonia and the Emperor Face of Mount Robson in B.C. as some of his most notable achievements.
In 2013, Leclerc set a record by soloing the Grand Wall of the Squamish Chief — a sheer, steep, exposed rock wall north of Vancouver — in 58 minutes.
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