New Zealand mountain climbers Martin and Denali Schmidt believed killed in avalanche

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New Zealand's mountaineering community is in mourning after the apparent death of a father and son on the world's second-highest peak, K2, in Pakistan.

Martin Walter Schmidt, 53, and his 25-year old son Denali Walter Schmidt have been missing since an avalanche hit Camp 3 on the 8,611-metre mountain on Friday night.

British climber Adrian Hayes told New Zealand publication The Climber that six teams had returned to base camp because of dangerous snow conditions.

"Our fears on the fate of New Zealand mountain guide Marty Schmidt and his son Denali - who climbed up from Camp 2 to Camp 3 last Friday as we all returned to Base Camp due to the dangerous snow conditions - was sadly confirmed last night when two of our sherpas reached Camp 3 to find it wiped out by an avalanche," he wrote on The Climber's website.

"As Marty's last radio communication took place on Friday night from the camp, the avalanche almost certainly occurred that night as they slept in their tent."

Mr Hayes said sherpas later found the pair's tent wiped out and crucial climbing equipment lying in the snow.

Sequoia Di Angelo confirmed the deaths of her brother and father on Twitter.

It is with great sorrow that I confirm the tragic death of my brother and father, Denali and Marty Schmidt. May their spirits rest at k2.RIP
— Sequoia Di Angelo (@sequoiadiangelo) July 29, 2013
Outdoor clothing company Macpac issued a statement on their website following the report.

"It is with great sadness that we have received reports from Base Camp that Marty and Denali have been killed on K2 by an avalanche," the statement said.

"Our thoughts are with their family and friends in the climbing community across the world."

Alpine Club of Pakistan chief Manzoor Hussain said the New Zealanders had been waiting at Camp 3 for the weather to clear.

A separate rescue has been called off for three Spanish climbers who went missing in bad weather after scaling the 8,068-metre Gasherbrum-I peak in the Karakoram range on July 21, he said.

And three Iranian climbers who went missing on July 16 on another mountain are presumed dead, according to officials.

Pakistan is home to five of the world's 14 peaks over 8,000 metres. Deaths among climbers are not uncommon.

ABC/AFP
New Zealand mountain climbers Martin and Denali Schmidt believed killed in avalanche on Pakistan's K2 - Australia Network News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)