By Vedrana Simičević
Publication Date: 2026-01-09 10:00:00
The search for missing walkers and mountaineers in remote areas can take weeks and sometimes months. In some cases, AI can complete this task within hours – and potentially save lives.
As they battled worsening weather, mountain rescue teams in Italy’s Piedmont region faced a conundrum. The experienced Italian climber and orthopedist Nicola Ivaldo had disappeared. The 66-year-old did not show up for work on Monday and the alarm was raised.
Ivaldo set out alone on a Sunday in September 2024. Unfortunately, he hadn’t shared any details about where he was going with his friends or family. The only clue to his whereabouts was the car that rescuers found parked in the village of Castello di Pontechianale in Valle Varaita. Rescuers suspected that from there Ivaldo had probably climbed one of the two most prominent peaks in the Cottian Alps – the rugged 3,841 m (12,000 ft) Monviso or its neighbor Visolotto at 3,348 m (10,984 ft). That suited the…
