Climber Ueli Steck, known for his fast ascents, dies in training
The 40-year-old Swiss climber and accomplished mountain runner held multiple speed records for notable climbs around the world.
By Brandon Pullan
Swiss climber Ueli Steck, 40, has died on a Mount Everest training climb on nearby Nuptse, a mountain in the Nepalese Himalayas. The man known for his fast ascents had been acclimatizing to attempt the Everest to Lhotse traverse this spring.
The Himalayan Times wrote that he had been seen climbing near the Nuptse Face in the early hours of Sunday (local time) and may have slipped and fallen on the icy slope.
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A statement, which can be seen below in full, was posted to Steck’s Facebook page on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. EDT.
On Wednesday, Steck wrote on Facebook, “Quick day from base camp up to 7,000m and back,” as he believed active acclimatisation was the most effective way of getting used to high altitude.
Asked about his definition of success for the traverse of Everest and Lhotse, he said, “To be not successful is just if you have an accident or if you’re going to die, that’s definitely not successful, all the other things, it’s a success already.”
Steck had climbed Everest without oxygen before and over the years set new standards in alpine climbing by setting a number of records for making fast solos of big and classic routes, such as the north face of the Eiger and Grandes Jorasses. Kilian Jornet, one of the all-time great mountain runners, abandoned a speed attempt of Everest in 2016.
Commenting in early April on his Everest-Lhotse attempt, Steck told Outdoor Journal that “If you climb just Everest, it’s like running a marathon. But now we’ll be trying an ultramarathon.”
Steck was nicknamed the “Swiss Machine” because of his methodical approach and ability to continue after pushing to his limits. According to Reuters, Steck had won several awards for his mountaineering feats.
For more details as they are made available, visit Alan Arnette’s blog.
This story originally appeared at gripped.ca with additional details included.
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