Reid Sanders Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

Sep 21, 2023

Reid

Sanders

53

30

White / Caucasian

Male

On April 8, 2002, a 30-year-old man named Reid Poinier Sanders, an experienced mountaineer and avid skier, went missing in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Sanders, along with his friend Aaron Martin, was attempting a challenging feat: to ski from the 18,008-foot summit of Mount St. Elias down to sea level. They were part of a four-person expedition that had flown to a camp at the 10,000-foot level of the mountain a few days prior. The group ascended to a higher camp, but one member, Greg Von Dorsten, remained behind due to frostbitten hands. Sanders, Martin, and the third climber, John Griber, continued their ascent toward the summit. The three men reached the summit late in the day, but as they began their descent, the situation turned tragic. Griber, who was on a snowboard, decided to walk down part of the icy face, while Sanders and Martin began to ski. Griber later recounted hearing a swishing sound and seeing Martin slide past him, falling an estimated 4,000 feet down the Tyndall Glacier. After witnessing Martin's fall, Griber called out for Sanders but received no reply. It is believed that Sanders also fell in an area known for its unstable ice columns and crevasses. Griber searched for Sanders for hours before taking shelter in a crevasse for the night. The following day, Griber made his way down to the camp where Von Dorsten was waiting. When their air taxi pilot flew over to check on them, he saw a message stamped in the snow that read, "two dead, two need rescue." A rescue mission was launched by the Alaska National Guard, and Griber and Von Dorsten were safely taken off the mountain. Subsequent searches were hampered by poor weather conditions. A later aerial search spotted a body and gear about 3,000 feet below the peak, but recovery was not immediately possible. Reid Sanders and Aaron Martin were both presumed to have perished in the fall. Sanders was a passionate outdoorsman who owned a backcountry skiing business and worked as a mountaineering guide.

Apr 08, 2002

Wrangell-St. Elias

Alaska

Valdez–Cordova Census Area

No

77837

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

AK19036373

2002-04-10

Alaska State Troopers

na

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

07/09/2026