Sister: Gina Rzucidlo, Auburn native and accomplished mountain climber, declared dead

Gina Maria Rzucidlo, a world-class climber from Auburn, was intent on conquering the 14 mountains known as the eight-thousanders.

The mountains, all in the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, are so named for their daunting heights, at least 8,000 meters (26,247 feet).

Rzucidlo had summited 13 of the peaks including Mount Everest in recent years. Her impressive to-do list was down to one, Mount Shishapangma in Tibet.

Saturday, as she made her final push on Mount Shishapangma, she got caught in an avalanche. She was close to the summit.

As of early Monday, Rzucidlo, 45, had not been found.

"Gina had an adventurous spirit that could not be restrained," said Christy Rzucidlo, Gina's sister.

Monday afternoon, Christy Rzucidlo said on social media that the family had been told that Gina and her guide had been declared dead, with conditions too dangerous to continue a search.

"We have been told the search for their bodies may resume in the spring once weather conditions are favorable," she wrote.

A separate avalanche on the same day left two climbers dead. They were identified as American climber Anna Gutu and a Nepalese guide. Their bodies were recovered.

Gina Rzucidlo and her mountain guide were not immediately located after they got caught in an avalanche, sparking an extensive search.

Rzucidlo graduated from Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester in 1999 and most recently lived in New York City.

She was seeking to become the first American woman to climb the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, according to outsideonline.com. Gutu was seeking to accomplish the same feat.

Shishapangma is the 14th-highest mountain in the world, at over 8,027 meters (26,335 feet) above sea level. October is a popular time to trek the Himalayas as it's after the rainy monsoon season, but experts have cautioned that climate change has increased the risk of avalanches in the region.

Rzucidlo was climbing the mountain with a noted guide, Tenjin Sherpa, part of the Seven Summit Treks. Her interest in hiking intensified in recent years, eventually turning her attention to the noted mountains.

"She loved hiking and after climbing a few mountains decided to accomplish a personal goal of summiting all 14 eight-thousanders," said Christy Rzucidlo, in a Facebook message.

Gina Rzucidlo's friends and family are supporting one another in the days after learning of the avalanche. A family friend started a GoFundMe page.

"Gina was a skilled climber and mountaineer but above all she was a beloved daughter, sister, and aunt," wrote Julie Church, organizer of the fundraiser.

Rzucidlo climbed Everest in May 2018, her sister said.

At least 120 people in the Indian Himalayas were killed by avalanches over the past two years.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Gina Rzucidlo of Auburn missing after avalanche on Tibet's Mount Shishapangma