Tech CEO Falls 3,000 Feet To His Death While Climbing California Mountain

45-year-old Argentinian tech-CEO, Matias Augusto Travizano, fell 3,000 feet to his death while descending from the peak of Mount Shasta in northern California. He had reached the 14,162 ft summit during his hike on September 12.

Travizano was accompanied by two strangers as he went down the “non-technical” Clear Creek Trail, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Reportedly, GranData CEO strayed from the simpler descent path and ended up stranded on the Wintun Glacier.

He got stuck there and the duo with him tried to slide down the icy path to get to a safer location. This is when the tragedy occurred and Travizano lost control and hurtled down 300 feet into a boulder.

Notably, he survived after this fall and regained consciousness after 10 minutes,

witnesses told officials. After this, when he tried to move again, he slipped and fell even further out of sight off another edge. His body was later found at the base of the glacier by the California Highway Patrol helicopter unit.

“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,” the sheriff’s office said, according to the Chronicle.

“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.”

Who was Matias Augusto Travizano?

Travizano, a trained physicist and entrepreneur, founded and served as CEO of GranData, a data analytics company based in San Francisco. In 2024, he was appointed as a government adviser in Argentina by President Javier Milei and played a key role in organising the politician’s first tour of Silicon Valley.