Famous climber Ueli Steck dies in a tragic accident near Mount Everest

One of the world’s most renowned climbers, Ueli Steck, died in an accident in Nepal near Mount Everest on 30 April 2017. He was 40.

Steck died after falling to the foot of Mount Nuptse, a smaller peak in the area. The accident happened when he was doing an acclimatizing climb for an attempt of the never-repeated Hornbein route on the West Ridge of Everest without supplemental oxygen.

Steck was planning to climb 8850-metre Mount Everest and nearby Mount Lhotse in May 2017.

About Ueli Steck

• Born on 4 October 1976, Ueli Steck was a Swiss rock climber and mountaineer.

• He won two Piolet d'Or awards, in 2009 and 2014.

• He was famous for his speed records on the North Face trilogy in the Alps, which earned him the nickname “Swiss Machine.”

• He achieved the 9th difficulty rating (UIAA) in climbing at the age of 17.

• In June 2004, he and Stephan Siegrist climbed the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau within 25 hours.

• He set his first speed record on the North Face of the Eiger in 2007, climbing it in 3 hours and 54 minutes. The record was later lowered by Steck himself to 2 hours 47 minutes 33 seconds.

• In 2014, he made the first solo ascent of Annapurna, and won his second Piolet d'Or.