- Matias Travizano, Argentine entrepreneur, died after falling 3,000 feet on Mount Shasta
- He summited Mount Shasta via Clear Creek Trail before becoming stranded on Wintun Glacier
- Travizano lost control sliding on ice, hit a rock, then fell further down the mountain
In a shocking incident that has stunned the tech world, Matias Augusto Travizano, a 45-year-old Argentine entrepreneur and co-founder of San Francisco-based data analytics firm GranData, plummeted over 3,000 feet to his death while descending California's iconic Mount Shasta. According to The Standard, the incident happened on September 12.
Mr Travizano, a trained physicist known for his innovative work in AI and data solutions, had summited the 14,162-foot peak earlier that day via the Clear Creek Trail, a route often deemed one of the mountain's safer paths. The group, consisting of the climber and two fellow trekkers he met along the way, deviated from their route due to poor visibility. This led to them becoming stranded on the hazardous Wintun Glacier at an elevation of around 13,500 feet.
The climbers tried to slide down the icy slope to safer ground, but things went terribly wrong. Mr Travizano, who was sliding ahead of his friend, lost control and crashed into a big rock. He was knocked out and lay still for about 10 minutes. When he woke up briefly, he tried to move but slipped again and fell over a steep edge, tumbling further down the mountain. Hours later, the California Highway Patrol helicopter unit found his body near the base of the glacier, around 10,200 feet down.
The sheriff's office reported: "While the Clear Creek Route is considered one of the mountain's 'safer' trails to summit, climbers can become disoriented in low-visibility conditions, particularly when descending from the summit plateau. Once off the trail, these climbers often wander into more hazardous areas in the Ash Creek or Mud Creek drainages, where accidents are more likely to occur."
This warning follows a recent incident where a 50-year-old climber fell to his death on the same trail in August after getting disoriented. According to reports, the mountain sees an average of one death per year, yet it remains a popular spot for climbers.
As per People, Demian Travizano was a trained physicist and entrepreneur. He founded GranData, a data analytics company in San Francisco. In 2024, he was appointed as a government adviser in Argentina by President Javier Milei. He helped organise the president's first tour of Silicon Valley.
The CEO's untimely death has elicited an outpouring of grief from colleagues and mentees. Described as a visionary mentor and family man, his LinkedIn profile revealed his involvement in several other companies in the world of tech and AI.
