Ueli Steck
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Ueli Steck |
| Main discipline | Mountaineering |
| Other disciplines | Carpentry |
| Born | October 4, 1976 Langnau im Emmental, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Swiss |
Ueli Steck (born October 4, 1976 in Langnau im Emmental, Switzerland) is a Swiss climber. He is also a skilled carpenter and lives in Ringgenberg in Interlaken.
Career
At the age of 17, Steck achieved the 9th difficulty rating (UIAA) in climbing. As an 18-year-old he climbed the north face of the Eiger, and the Bonatti Pillar in the Mont Blanc massif. In June 2004, he climbed the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau within 25 hours with Stephan Siegrist. Another success was the so-called Khumbu-Express in 2005,[1] for which the climbing magazine Climb named him one of the three best alpinists in Europe.[citation needed] The project consisted of the first solo-climb of the north wall of Cholatse (6440 m) and the east wall of Taboche (6505 m).
In 2007, whilst climbing up the direct line on the southern flank to the summit of Annapurna in the Himalayas, he was hit by a falling rock which smashed his helmet. He was knocked unconscious, slipped more than 200 feet, but survived with only bruises and a concussion. In May 2008, again climbing Annapurna, he broke off his ascent due to an avalanche threat, but the next week climbed to assist a Spanish climber Iñaki Ochoa de Olza, who had collapsed. Medical help was slow in coming and the Spanish climber died despite Steck's help.[2][3][4]
In 2008, Steck was the first recipient of the Eiger Award for his mountaineering achievements.[5]
Climbing achievements
- 1995 Eiger north face, Heckmair route (1800m AS)
- 1998 Mönch, Haston couloir, solo in 3.5 hours (AS-1000m)
- 1999 Eiger northeast face (Lauper route), solo in 5 hours (AS-1800m)
- 2000 Eiger north face, Yeti route, second ascent (7c/A0)
- Mönch north face, Direttissima, first ascent (1000m M5/Wi5)
- 2001 Grandes Jorasses Walker Spur, winter ascent (1200m AS)
- Pumori west face, first ascent (1400m M4/80 degree ice) with Ueli Buhler
- Eiger North Face, first ascent via "The Young Spider" (1800m M7/Wi6; 7a/A2)
- 2002 Mount Dickey, Alaska, east face, first ascent ("Blood from the Stone" route, 1700m M7 + AI6 5.9/A1)[6]
- 2002/03 Two attempts at Jannu north face (7710m) Nepal, along with Erhard Loretan
- 2003 Punta Heron (Patagonia)
- Eiger nort face, La vida es Silbar redpointed, (900m 7c)
- 2004 Trilogy Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau (north faces) in 25 hours
- 2005 (Khumbu-Express) First solo ascent of Taboche east face (6515m) and Cholatse north face (6440 meters)
- 2006 Matterhorn north face, solo ascent
- Eiger north face, winter solo ascent of "The Young Spider"
- Gasherbrum II East (7772 m) NE face, first ascent [7]
- 2007 Eiger north face, Heckmair route, speed record in 3:54 hours, solo
- 2008 Eiger north face, Heckmair route, speed record in 2:47:33 hours, solo [8]
- Grand Jorasses north face, Colton–McIntyre speed-record route in 2:21 hours, solo [9]
- Tengkampoche north face (6500m, Nepal) with Simon Anthamatten, first ascent in alpine style (no bolts, no fixed ropes, four days for the ascent and descent), winner of the Piolet d'Or .[10]
- 2009 Matterhorn north face, Schmid route speed-record in 1:56 hours, solo [11]
- Gasherbrum II, solo ascent
- Makalu, normal route
- 2011 Shishapangma south face solo in 10:30 hours.[12]
Literature
- Gabriella Baumann von Arx: SOLO. Der Alleingänger Ueli Steck – Eine Nahaufnahme, Wörterseh, Gockhausen 2006. ISBN 3-033-00636-1 . ("The maverick Ueli Steck – A close-up")
References
- ^ http://www.uelisteck.ch/en/galleries/110-khumbu-express.html
- ^ Bauer, Luke (2008-05-23). "Inaki Ochoa de Olza Dies on Annapurna". Alpinist. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
- ^ Bericht von Ueli Steck zum Tod Ochoas
- ^ Bericht zum Tod Ochoas auf www.mounteverest.net
- ^ Eiger Award 2008: Laudatio Ueli Steck by Robi Bösch.
- ^ http://www.alpinist.com/doc/ALP01/climbing-note-easton
- ^ First approach of Gasherbrum from the North, see Gasherbrum II at 8000ers.com
- ^ Report at www.bergsteigen.at and Report in the Tagesschau des Schweizer Fernsehens
- ^ Report in the Tagesanzeiger
- ^ Annapurna-Expedition 2008
- ^ Report in the Tagesschau des Schweizer Fernsehens
- ^ "Steck Solos Shishapangma in 10.5 Hours", climbing.com, 18 April 2011.