Ueli Steck, aka the Swiss Machine, a 40-year-old expert mountain climber passes away in a climbing accident preparing for Mount Everest. The climber was trying to acclimate himself before his trek on the mountain without oxygen by a new route.
Swiss Machine, Ueli Steck, Dies in Climbing Accident. Photo by Himalayan News
Steck’s body was recovered at the Mount Nupste base, after he was spotted by fellow climbers in the area.
Ang Tsering Sherpa, head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, told reporters that his accident most likely occurred “on the Nupste wall and died” after his climbing partner contracted severe frostbite. It appeared that Steck was preparing to climb Mount Everest’s West Ridge (a route with a lower success rate).
Ueli Steck kept his Facebook followers updated on his climb, informing them that active acclimatisation was the most effective way of getting used to the high altitude. in 2012, he had previously climbed Everest without any oxygen, and then again in 2015.
Before his climb, he had been featured in a video about his Everest-Lhotse project where he claimed he was ready and psyched for the climb. “My body is as strong as it was never before”.
“Why do I have to attempt Everest and Lhotse? Yet again,the answer is simple. I get to stay longer in the mountains. And now I’ll go, and only worry about the events that lie ahead of me. Day by day, one by one. It is the here and now that counts. What comes next is uncertain in any case. Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow”.
Taylor Phelps is a California State University of Channel Islands graduate with a degree in Communications. Born and raised near the coast of Southern California, she has developed a passion for the ocean and the mountains. Additionally, she has a special interest in cross cultural communication and plans to develop her knowledge on the topic by traveling the world someday.
