The brother of an American who disappeared while solo ice climbing in Chile almost a quarter of a century ago has revealed his body has finally been returned home.
The remains of Jim Weinman, nicknamed as “El James”, were found when a glacier melted in 2021. However, it was two years before the body could be repatriated – and then there were further delays in the news being issued due to another family bereavement.
Jim’s younger brother Robert Weinman, 55, of Queensbury, New York State, told Advnture it was a “miracle” to have his body come home at last.
He said: “We feel very thankful that Jim’s remains have been recovered.
“So many families have lost loved ones in adventures, accidents, crimes and both natural and political events and have no final evidence of what became of their loved ones.
“Although it took 20 years, it is a miracle that any trace of evidence emerged.”
It was in June 2000 that the Weimans were first alerted to the possible death of 32-year-old Jim, who grew up in Clifton Park, New York.
A skilled mountaineer, the last information that the family knew was that he had planned a solo ice climb in the Andes Mountains.
However he didn’t turn up on his expected return flight a few days later – and despite searches in the area around Cerro San Francisco (Nevado San Francisco), near Santiago, in the following months no trace was found of him although his tent and some other personal items were recovered.
It was presumed he had fallen to his death and the family – including his mum Linda and dad Bob, were left to grieve for a further two decades.
The unexpected discovery of the climber happened when scientists studying global warming found his body in a melting glacier.
Robert, who described Jim as both a brother and best friend, said: “It was in 2021 that Gino Cassasa, a Chilean climber and glaciologist, found Jim. The remains had travelled approximately 900 metres from where the presumed incident occurred.
“But it was another two years before the remains could be returned. There are multiple reasons for the delay and one being that Chile is very careful with unidentified human remains because of mass executions under Pinochet in the 1970s.
“Then, just after the news that Jim would be returned to us, my dad died. After that, we shared the news with the journalist who had first covered the story of my brother’s disappearance and the story was published in a newspaper.”
He reflected: “Losing someone to the wilderness brings up many thoughts. We should be more prepared for adventures and adversities in the wilderness. We should also be more prepared that adventures are worth the risk.
"Do what we love. Love what we do and accept the potential consequences of all of it. My brother and I had a prayer we would say often when leaving the tent for the next adventure: God we have hopes for the best, plans for the worst, but whatever happens out there may it be quick, painless, and preferably fun regardless of outcome.”
