Seattle ? A snow-covered body found on a remote mountain in China has been identified as U.S. photographer Charlie Fowler, who disappeared several weeks ago during a climbing trip with the owner of a Seattle-based adventure company, friends said Thursday.

Fowler and Christine Boskoff were not roped together when they were possibly swept up by an avalanche high on the peak, as friends initially believed they would be, and so the search for Boskoff continued as snow fell Thursday.

The two climbers were reported missing when they failed to return to the United States on Dec. 4. The search was initially hampered because they didn’t leave details of the route they planned to climb.