One of the greatest alpinists of all time, the Swiss climber Ueli Steck, has died in a fall while climbing alone on Nuptse (7,861m) adjacent to Lhotse and Everest. Steck was in the Himalaya for his “Everest-Lhotse Project,” intending to link, with Tenji Sherpa, Everest and Lhotse. Steck was to climb Everest via the difficult Hornbein Couloir, descend to the South Col, then take a direct line up Lhotse, all without supplemental oxygen. Had he and Tenji Sherpa succeeded this would have been the first link of the two big mountains. In an interview on April 7 with Planetmountain.com, Steck gave his odds at succeeding on the traverse at “50/50.”
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Source: rockandice.com
Photo: Patitucci Photos
