Tech exec plummets 2000 feet to his death off California mountain

A tech executive died after plummeting 2000 feet to his death off a California mountain.

Matias Travizano, 45, plunged off Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County, California during a hike on September 12.

The Argentine, who was chairman of tech firm Grandata, was killed as he attempted to descend the mountain by sliding down it using a risky technique known as ‘glissading’.

Travizano was making his way down with two other hikers he met during his ascent when he hit a boulder and was knocked unconscious.

They watched in horror as the executive slid 300 feet before one of them managed to get within 100 feet.

Travizano briefly regained consciousness, but plunged for a second time over a ledge beyond the other hiker’s reach.

The California Highway Patrol helicopter unit recovered his body at an elevation of 10,200 feet at the base of the Wintun Glacier the next day.

The group went up the mountain using the Clear Creek Trail, described as a ‘non-technical’ route that is commonly used in the summer and fall.

Matias Travizano, the Argentine chairman of Grandata, was killed during his descent down Mount Shasta on September 12

Travizano and his companions got stuck on an ice sheet on the northern tip of the Wintun Glacier

However, on their way down the group realized they had lost the trail and were stuck on an ice sheet on the northern tip of the Wintun Glacier.

Visibility also became limited due to clouds that moved in that afternoon which may have contributed to knocking the hikers off course, officials said.

The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team, California Highway Patrol Northern Air Operations, and the US Forest Service Climbing Rangers were launched around 2.30pm.

But by the time they reached Travizano he was already dead, authorities said.

The executive’s death is the second this year on Mount Shasta.

Last month a 50-year-old man died after he was found at the bottom of a cliff with significant injuries, said Myers.

Even for very experienced hikers, the mountain can be deadly.

In 2022 a mountain guide died after she plummeted 2,500 feet off Mount Shasta.

The group attempted to descend using a risky technique known as glissading. Pictured: Travizano with OpenAI boss Sam Altman (right) and unknown (left)

In 2022 a mountain guide died after she plummeted 2,500 feet off Mount Shasta

Jillian Elizabeth Webster and two others fell thousands of feet while tethered together.

Webster died while two others were injured, and six other separate incidents occurred that same day.

Travizano served as the chairman of San Francisco-based Grandata, which creates products for artificial intelligence, data, and privacy.

The company’s website explains its business model in three simple steps: combining data, applying algorithms, and driving business.

The company also has offices in Buenos Aires and Mexico.