“Swiss Machine” Ueli Steck, the fastest climber in the world, dies on Mt Everest
The alpinist Ueli Steck (41), known as ‘Swiss Machine’ in the international mountaineering community, because he was he fastest climber in the world, was killed in an accident near Camp I on Mt Everest on Sunday morning.
Six rescuers discovered the body of the multiple-record holder mountaineer near Nuptse Face of the Mt Everest where he could have slipped and fell on the ice-covered slope. The team has collected the scattered parts of the climber’s body, The Himalayan Times reports.
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A Fishtail Air helicopter has also been sent to Camp I to conduct a long line rescue.
Swiss alpinist Steck and Tenzing (Tenji) Sherpa headed to Khumbu region to try to climb Mt Everest by the never repeated West Ridge/Hornbein Couloir route without using supplemental oxygen in the spring climbing season.
They also set out a plan to make a descend to the South Col before taking the once climbed direct route just below the Lhotse Face to obtain that summit record.
On April 26, the climber posted on his Facebook page: “Quick day from base camp up to 7,000 m and back. I love it, it’s such a great place here. I still believe in active aclimatisation. This is way more effective than spending nights up in the altitude!” the climber posted on his Facebook page.
Ueli Steck won two Piolet d’Or awards in 2009 and 2014. He is famous especially for his speed records on the North Face trilogy in the Alps. He won his second award in 2014 after making the first solo ascent of Mt Annapurna.
Steck also was the first recipient of the Eiger Award for his mountaineering achievements in 2008. He completed his 82 Summits project, ascending all 4000 m peaks in the Alps, in only 61 days in 2015.
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