Hiker, 21, Said He Was Going to Try a ‘Short Cut.’ Nobody Has Seen or Heard from Him in a Month 

A 21-year-old hiker who documented his climb on Mount Whitney has been missing since November, after he indicated in a video that he planned to take a “short cut” on his descent.

Joseph Brambila previously shared footage of himself sliding down the mountain’s snow-covered upper slopes — a move known as a “glissade.” The technique is often done with protective gear such as an ice pick and helmet, The Los Angeles Times reports.

In the June video, Brambila admitted the descent was risky.

“Low key, I didn’t know how that was going to turn out. Half of it was good and then way too much speed,” he said in the clip reviewed by The L.A. Times. Because temperatures were warmer at the time, he was able to make it down in less icy conditions.

Authorities now fear conditions were far more dangerous when he returned months later.

Last seen near Trail Crest

Brambila went back to Mount Whitney — part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range — on Nov. 11, just days after turning 21. Luis Buenrostro, one of the last hikers known to have seen him, told The L.A. Times he encountered Brambila at the summit and later saw him again at Trail Crest, the same location where Brambila filmed his earlier June video.

Brambila has not been seen since, and his family reported him missing, according to the outlet.

“Heavy snow from the last two storms has made conditions extremely hazardous. The terrain is icy and unstable, and attempting a summit or any search in these conditions is very dangerous,” Lindsey Stine, a spokeswoman for the Inyo County Sheriff’s Department, told The L.A. Times.

Stine said another search will be launched when weather and staffing make it possible, adding that “recovery may not be feasible until the snow and ice begin to melt,” per The LA Times.

Family and volunteers continue pushing for answers

Brambila’s girlfriend, Darlene Molina, told SFGate that he often intentionally disconnects while hiking, even turning off his phone — but still records personal vlog-style videos.

“He loves disconnecting from the world and spending time with himself in nature,” Molina told SFGate, adding, “He has told his friends that he’ll turn his phone off during hikes but is always recording and talking to himself for vlogs.”

Molina described Brambila as ambitious but prepared, and noted he has chosen to end hikes early before if conditions became unsafe, including in Yosemite National Park, according to the outlet.

The Fowler-O’Sullivan Foundation — a nonprofit that supports families of missing hikers — has also been assisting.

“Since Joseph was reported missing, hikers have reached out to both the family and the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office to report what appears to be a body roughly 1,000 feet below the cables,” the foundation wrote in a Facebook post on Nov. 29. “Recent storms made it impossible for teams to safely access the area, but most recently SAR was able to send a team up in a helicopter. Unfortunately, they were not able to locate the body from the air. They are back up again today.”

Search conditions remain extremely difficult

In a statement provided to the outlet, Fowler-O’Sullivan Foundation founder and executive director Cathy Tarr said the group is supporting Brambila’s family but is not currently conducting an active ground search due to the mountain’s conditions.

“We are not actively searching in this case,” Tarr said. “It’s still active and there are folks going up there this weekend for a few days with a GPR hoping to be able to locate the body that is currently hidden under feet of snow. But we are here for the family for anything they may need. If even just to talk.”

Search efforts have involved California Highway Patrol helicopters, multiple search-and-rescue units, Recco devices used to help locate missing hikers, and cadaver K-9s, SF Gate reports. Mount Whitney’s summit rises to nearly 15,000 feet, making winter conditions especially unforgiving.