Mummified body uncovered at Columbia Icefield

The body of an American climber has been discovered, 21 years after he went missing in the Rocky Mountains.

Two local hikers made the discovery on August 15th, when they stumbled upon a mummified body, outfitted in climbing gear deep in the Columbia Icefield.

Experts believe the climber has been locked in the glacier since 1989. Thanks to dental records, a medical examiner has been able to identify the remains as belonging to William Holland.

Holland was searching for a route down Mount Snowdome on April 3, 1989. A ridge of snow gave away and he fell. The conditions were so extreme that his partner and others in the group were unable to reach him.

A ground search was launched on April 4th, 1989, but was suspended on April 9th due to bad weather. Holland's body was never recovered, until now.

William Holland's daughter reacted to the news that her father's body had been uncovered from her New York apartment.

"What if?" she said. "It has been a question that I could never answer and have always in the back of my mind. Maybe somehow, someplace, someway, he's out there."

Laurel Holland says that even though the news is heartbreaking, there is some peace in knowing her father died doing what he loved.

"How beautiful in some ways that the mountains took hold of him, and he ultimately ended up where he needed to be."

Parks Canada believes there are at least two other cases of hikers who have been missing since the 1970s in the park and are presumed dead.