According to World Radio Switzerland, the strongest Swiss climber is currently undergoing acclimatization before climbing the southeast ridge of Everest without the use of oxygen. In an interview from base camp three days ago, Uli stated: “If I don't quit the game, I'll die sooner rather than later.”.
Ueli Steck, whose achievements are covered by Rock and Ice magazine, is best known for his record-breaking solo speed ascents of the Eiger North Face (2:47), the Grandes Jorasses North Face (2:21), the Matterhorn North Face (1:56) and for using his signature style - high-speed soloing in the Himalayas - in 2011, like lightning, he ran up Shisha Pangma (8027 m) in just 10 hours 30 minutes.
This spring, Steck arrived in the Everest region with Freddie Wilkinson, who had recently received the Piolet d'Or award for the first alpine ascent of the world's second unclimbed peak, Saser Kangri II (7,518 m - India).
Uli received five permits: Cholatse (6440 m), Lobuche (6145 m), Ama Dablam (6812 m), Taboche (6542 m) and Everest.
On April 16, the Swiss reported climbing Lobuche in preparation for climbing the highest peaks. On April 23, Uli wrote in his blog that he and Wilkinson were forced to turn back when climbing the north face of Cholatze due to too loose snow. Three days later, together with their partner, they climbed to the top of Ama Damblam.
It is unknown whether Ueli Steck will try to set a speed record on Everest, but at least another climber, Chad Kellogg from Seattle, also in the area, is counting on a new speed record without the use of oxygen, which currently belongs to Kazi Sherpa, set by him in 1998 and amounting to 20 hours 24 minutes along the southeastern ridge. The record with oxygen - 8 hours 10 minutes belongs to Pemba Korje Sherpa, who climbed the same ridge in 2004.
Among the hundreds of climbers preparing to climb Everest this spring, everyone's eyes are focused on one person - the “Swiss machine” Ueli Steck, his route and climbing style.
swissinfo.ch: Your latest project is quite ambitious - attempting to climb three challenging Himalayan peaks (Taboche, Cholatse and Ama Dablam) before climbing Everest. Doesn't it bother you that you might covet a piece that you can't swallow?
Ueli Steck: That's right, a busy program, and although my main goal is to reach the top of Everest without oxygen, I would rather climb other peaks than sit around in base camp for two months. Even if I manage to climb at least one peak out of three, that will be something.
swissinfo.ch: You call your project “Khumbu Express”, which makes it seem as if you are running up the mountain and back without taking the time to enjoy it.
U.Sh.: I probably enjoy the mountains more than most people here. Climbers going to Everest climb and descend several times to acclimatize. I go to other peaks, where I admire different things (landscapes). Some people feel like I take on too much, but I prefer to climb mountains rather than sit around doing nothing.
swissinfo.ch: How important is it for you to climb Everest without oxygen?
U.Sh.: Climbing Everest via the classic route is certainly not the greatest achievement of my career. On the other hand, this is the most high point planet and reaching the top without oxygen and the help of Sherpas is a serious challenge. There are several things on my mountaineering bucket list that I would like to achieve, and Everest is one of them.
swissinfo.ch: Is there a lot of pressure on you in your quest to rise to the top of the world?
U.Sh.: I have to be very careful because a lot is expected of me. If I don't quit this game, I'll die sooner rather than later. I have never climbed Everest without oxygen, so this is a serious challenge, even on the classic route. I hear a lot of rumors about my plans, and some of them are nonsense. At the end of the day, I do what I have to do, and if I fail, it's not the end of the world. I no longer feel pressured and I don't care what others say.
swissinfo.ch: You are a true mountaineer, known for your remote and challenging routes. How do you like life at the luxurious and commercial Everest Base Camp?
U.Sh.: There are people involved in commercial expeditions, just like those who climb Everest with oxygen. But when you come here, you have to accept it. Commercial expeditions are not for me, but they bring money to Nepal - a poor country. If you want adventure, don't come to Everest. There are so many other interesting mountains around. Here you can only choose whether to climb with or without oxygen, but giving up the fixed railings is not an option at all.
swissinfo.ch: Will you use railings installed by Sherpas?
U.Sh.: What kind of question is it - to use railings or not? It's like driving a car without wearing a seat belt - stupid, like not checking the weather forecast in advance. I'll probably go without a safety net, but if I decide there's a need for it, I'll probably snap into the ropes.
swissinfo.ch: You're known as a climber who does crazy things, and many people think you might die young. Have you ever felt like you were risking your life?
U.Sh.: First of all, it's too late for me to die young - I'm already 36! And no, I never risked my life. I'm a control freak. When I made a high-speed solo ascent of the north face of the Eiger, I was probably safer than the guys in the ropes - I knew that I wouldn’t fall. It's like going down the stairs - as you move your feet you never think about falling. However, you need to be honest with yourself - such things can only be done in certain periods of life, if you try to repeat them without the necessary skills, you risk a lot. Risk is always associated with your skills, and I trust mine.
swissinfo.ch: Have you ever thought about what you will do if you can no longer climb?
U.Sh.: In the long term, I would like to move away from sponsorship so that I can completely decide what I would like to do. I know for sure that I would like to climb for the rest of my life. When you are sponsored, they put a lot of pressure on you and expect a lot from you - and then suddenly you become too old, even at 36 years old. I'll have to make a living in another way, and I'm already working on it. I’m currently writing my third book and I’m really enjoying this side of my career. I discovered a lot of new things in myself through writing.
swissinfo.ch: Your record for speed climbing the North Face of the Eiger was broken by a young Swiss. What do you think about this?
U.Sh.: That's life - the bars are raised, and I always knew that sooner or later it would happen. I can still be proud of the fact that I opened a new direction in speed climbing.
swissinfo.ch: How do you manage to stay sane as a celebrity?
U.Sh.: It's hard sometimes, especially when I'm treated like a superhero. If it gets really unbearable, I have to tell myself that I'm an ordinary guy - and if I can't (convince myself), then my wife certainly can.
Ueli Steck (German: Ueli Steck; October 4, 1976 - April 30, 2017) is a Swiss mountaineer, two-time winner (2009, 2014) of the Golden Ice Axe.
Ueli Steck became interested in mountaineering at the age of twelve and already at eighteen, possessing extraordinary physical and, above all, psychological qualities, he climbed the most difficult mountaineering routes in the Alps. Ten years later, he was one of the elite of the world mountaineering community, and since 2004, when the world's leading media and sponsors paid attention to him, his name became a symbol of new sports records in mountaineering, and he maintained this status until his death. His unique achievements include numerous ascents along the most difficult, including new, routes in the Alps, as well as a number of world records for high-speed ascents of the Himalayan eight-thousanders and the Great North Faces of the Alps, for which it earned the nickname "Swiss Machine".
Died on April 30, 2017 in the Himalayas during an acclimatization trip in preparation for a high-speed passage of the Everest-Lhotse traverse without the use of additional oxygen.
If you try to list on the fingers of one hand the most outstanding climbers of our time who are creating history here and now, then, undoubtedly, the name of the Swiss Ueli Steck will be in this top ten. Anyone interested in what is happening in mountaineering will be familiar with this name. It is making sensational headlines both in the mountaineering community and in the wider European press.
The main motive of Ueli Steck's entire life was not the constant hunt for meters and records.
He simply liked to work on himself, set goals for his body and come up with ways to achieve them. To do this, he endlessly improved both his purely physical form and his climbing technique. He especially liked fitness classes, for which he followed, for example, a strict diet, completely rebuilding his fat and carbohydrate burning system with the goal, as he imagined, of qualitatively improving his athletic performance.
There was nothing new in this, but in the end he really managed to widely expand the horizons of the possible, and this perfectly suited his nature, because Ueli Steck admired the seemingly endless possibilities to the same extent human body, in which he admired the mountains, better than which, as you know, there can only be mountains that he has never been to!
And so, step by step, he began to conquer such peaks and conquer such spaces that were already beyond the limits of common sense and rational human reason. Speed climbing became such an attraction, which turned into his distinctive brand, into his brand, which became his strong point. Many simply shook their heads in bewilderment, viewing Ueli Steck's speed records as an expression of his pride, narcissism and even eccentric egoism.
Many believed that by doing so he was violating the philosophy that originally underlay the relationship between the Mountains and the Swiss, and the main principles of which were calmness, work, inspiration and respect for the eternal peaks, against the background of which any, even the most “significant” person involuntarily looks small and lost.
Ueli Steck did not particularly pay attention to all these commandments, turning the legendary North Face of Mount Eiger into a distance that, it turns out, can be overcome in just 2 hours and 22 minutes.
Ueli Steck was born in Langnau im Emmental, the third son of coppersmith Max Steck and his wife Lisabeth. Both of his older brothers played hockey, one of them at the professional level, and Uli followed in their footsteps in his youth. In addition to hockey, Uli also went in for alpine skiing with his father, but his real passion for mountains came after an ordinary climb with family friend Fritz Morgenthaler to Schrattenfluh, an “ordinary” peak of the Swiss Alps in the Emmental Valley. After that, he began to actively engage in rock climbing (at first on artificial climbing walls) and after a short time he achieved impressive results in this sport, not only thanks to the amazing physical qualities, but also internal readiness to take risks. “I grew up near the mountains and started climbing when I was 12 years old. I discovered them for myself, and it was an omen. Mountaineering is an ideal way to learn to think and learn at the same time. The rules are simple and obvious. If you didn't take a sleeping bag, you'll be cold. If you are not strong enough, you will not be able to climb..." professional field In addition to mountaineering, Ueli Steck received the profession of a carpenter, which he practiced until the end of his life.
At the age of 18, Uli climbed the Eiger and two peaks of the Mont Blanc massif - Bonatti Pillar and Aiguille du Dru.
Ueli Steck was a man who mercilessly pushed himself forward all the time, and he was absolutely aware of this. That is why he devoted so much time to issues of insurance and safety, and his main focus was not on hooks, ropes and carbines. He was sure that in the mountains, and in life in general, the human factor comes first, and that is why he tirelessly polished, honed and improved all his already almost superhuman abilities. All this turned him into an outstanding athlete and a shining reference for a whole generation of young super-climbers, who have long been trying to conquer not even the mountains, but themselves.
swissinfo.ch: Your latest project is quite ambitious - attempting to climb three challenging Himalayan peaks (Taboche, Cholatse and Ama Dablam) before climbing Everest. Doesn't it bother you that you might covet a piece that you can't swallow?
Ueli Steck: That's right, a busy program, and although my main goal is to reach the top of Everest without oxygen, I would rather climb other peaks than sit idle at base camp for two months. Even if I manage to climb at least one peak out of three, that will be something.
swissinfo.ch: You call your project “Khumbu Express”, which makes it seem as if you are running up the mountain and back without taking the time to enjoy it.
W.S.: I probably enjoy the mountains more than most people here. Climbers going to Everest climb and descend several times to acclimatize. I go to other peaks, where I admire different things (landscapes). Some people feel like I take on too much, but I prefer to climb mountains rather than sit around doing nothing.
swissinfo.ch: How important is it for you to climb Everest without oxygen?
U.S.: Climbing Everest via the classic route is certainly not the most outstanding achievement in my career. On the other hand, this is the highest point on the planet and reaching the top without oxygen and the help of Sherpas is a serious challenge. There are several things on my mountaineering bucket list that I would like to achieve, and Everest is one of them.
In 2012, Steck already climbed Everest without an oxygen tank, and in 2015 he conquered all 82 Alpine peaks above 4 thousand meters in 62 days.
Ueli Steck has set several records for ultra-fast solo ascents on classic routes.
He also helped popularize mountaineering through adventure films based on his climbs.
2007 could have ended in disaster for Ueli Steck. During a solo climb on the South Face of Annapurna, he was hit by a stone. The unconscious climber rolled down the wall for as much as 200 m. Uli survived thanks to his helmet, which shattered after the impact, and a rocky ledge that stopped the slide. As a result, the Swiss escaped with a concussion and several bruises.
The sad incident in no way diminished the athlete’s desire to conquer Annapurna, and a year later he again finds himself at the foot of the Himalayan giant. However, Ueli Steck was unlucky this time too. He was forced to stop his ascent, leave the route and come to the aid of the dying Spanish climber Iñaki Ochia, who died some time later. For his actions and achievements in sports, the Swiss was awarded the honorary “Eiger Award”.
In 2004, he achieved another impressive result: together with climber Stefan Siegrist, he climbed the northern walls of Mönch, Jungfrau and Eiger in just one day.
After several attempts, Ueli Steck set the speed record for climbing the north face of the Eiger in 2007. He climbed the route solo, belaying only three short sections. And no one was particularly surprised by this. Naturally - after all, the mountain is located almost on the threshold of his house (it’s a 30-minute drive away). Having climbed the northern face for the first time, solo, in 2004, spending 10 hours on it, then he steadily, centimeter by centimeter, moved towards this record and by 2006 he had reduced the passage time by almost half. The very first speed record for the north face of the Eiger was recorded by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler in the famous 10-hour sprint climb in 1969. Typically, such often-challenged records are broken by only a few minutes or even seconds, Ueli Steck beat the previous record holder (the Italian Christoph Heinz, record 2003) by 43 minutes with a new time of 3 hours 54 minutes.
Ueli Steck's family spends the evening ( Gedenkfeier) in his memory in Interlaken on May 24, at the Congress Center Kursaal Interlaken.
Below are two articles from the Swissinfo website
Swiss super-climber Ueli Steck has forever gone down in history with his unforgettable and unique achievements in the field of solo speed climbing. Anyone who believes that records were the meaning and purpose of his entire life is deeply mistaken. At the same time, it is clear that, ultimately, he turned himself into a real machine, functioning like a precise Swiss watch movement. And in this sense, Ueli Steck was and will forever remain the ideal type of a true Swiss.
(AFP)Ueli Steck, who died last week in the Himalayas, was for the Swiss the living embodiment of all those qualities that, according to outside observers, form the basis of a unique Swiss identity. He was successful, diligent and modest, and he was a man who was not inclined to exaggerate the magnitude of his achievements. Yes, he had successes to his credit, but this was only because before that he had worked hard and received every right to his 15 minutes of fame. Ueli Steck was a very humble man.
By oneself
Moreover, he just as vividly embodied all the values that we Swiss like to ascribe to ourselves. It was literally accurate to the millimeter. He was open-minded, flexible and had a talent for quick and carefully calculated responses. Finally, Ueli Steck was a true born loner. If he forced himself to enter into any alliances or alliances, it was only when it was required by the conditions of the project in which he participated completely voluntarily. He had many friends and practically no enemies. He was respected by everyone he encountered at least once, not to mention those with whom he worked on a regular basis.
It is not surprising, therefore, that his tragic death came as a real shock to Switzerland. He left behind thousands of people whom he somehow met or encountered in the Swiss Alps. Where an ordinary tourist dragged himself heavily to the top, puffing and wiping sweat from his forehead, there Ueli Steck easily pranced on his trained legs, having repealed, as it seemed to many, the law universal gravity, and at the same time a couple more postulates and constants. At the same time, he never turned his nose up at overtaking his fellow citizens who were overweight; he always greeted them politely and kindly, as required by inexorable Swiss etiquette.
He often gave public lectures in which he talked about his plans and views on life and which were one of the sources of his income - and these conversations in the style of "alone with everyone" always enjoyed lasting popularity. Ueli Steck was a talented storyteller, but he never lost the ability to critically evaluate himself.
Motives and guidelines
The main motive of Ueli Steck's entire life was not the constant hunt for meters and records. He simply liked to work on himself, set goals for his body and come up with ways to achieve them. To do this, he endlessly improved both his purely physical form and his climbing technique. He especially liked fitness classes, for which he followed, for example, a strict diet, completely rebuilding his fat and carbohydrate burning system with the goal, as he imagined, of qualitatively improving his athletic performance. There was nothing new in this, but in the end he really managed to expand the horizons of the possible, and this perfectly suited his nature, because Ueli Steck equally admired the seemingly endless possibilities of the human body, how he admired the mountains, better than which, as we know, there can only be mountains that he has never been to before!
And so, step by step, he began to conquer such peaks and conquer such spaces that were already beyond the limits of common sense and rational human reason. Speed climbing became such an attraction, which turned into his distinctive brand, into his brand, which became his strong point. Many simply shook their heads in bewilderment, viewing Ueli Steck's speed records as an expression of his pride, narcissism and even eccentric egoism. Many believed that by doing so he was violating the philosophy that originally underlay the relationship between the Mountains and the Swiss, and the main principles of which were calmness, work, inspiration and respect for the eternal peaks, against the background of which any, even the most “significant” person involuntarily looks small and lost. Ueli Steck did not particularly pay attention to all these commandments, turning the legendary North Face of Mount Eiger into a distance that, it turns out, can be overcome in just 2 hours and 22 minutes.
Ueli Steck was a man who mercilessly pushed himself forward all the time, and he was absolutely aware of this. That is why he devoted so much time to issues of insurance and safety, and his main focus was not on hooks, ropes and carbines. He was sure that in the mountains, and in life in general, the human factor comes first, and that is why he tirelessly polished, honed and improved all his already almost superhuman abilities. All this turned him into an outstanding athlete and a shining reference for a whole generation of young super-climbers, who have long been trying to conquer not even the mountains, but themselves.
Tendency to extremes
And so the question arises - what should a person do next who has developed his abilities so that for him climbing to the top of 4 thousand meters has long turned into a Sunday run? And he can only do one thing - move the boundary of the possible further and further, set goals for himself that are increasingly incredible and impossible to achieve. There was and could not be any other alternative. This is exactly what the laws of sport - and marketing - required of him!
Less risk, greater endurance, greater peaks - this is how he formulated his main task for himself. Ueli Steck was afraid of death, given the fact that he had already had a couple of opportunities to look into her pewter eyes. And then... Who would have thought that the brilliant racer Michael Schumacher would become a victim of a seemingly routine ski trip? And who would have thought that Ueli Steck would face a similar blow of fate? He knew that sooner or later, simply according to the laws of statistics, a serious misfortune would happen to him. But the death on the side of Mount Nuptse last Sunday? He did not plan this and died while making the most ordinary ascent. He was an outstanding Swiss and a great climber.
Ueli Steck on illusions, speed and heroism
(John Heilprin/swissinfo.ch)
Two weeks ago, the great Swiss mountaineer Ueli Steck died. For the first time, we are publishing an exclusive interview with him, conducted in Basel in 2010.
Grammar requires the past tense - “was”, “climbed”, “passed”, but the mind goes on strike and completely refuses to believe. Will I never see Uli again? Well, at least at his speeches, where he talked about his crazy rise to the top, illustrating them with photographs and videos. After all, this is exactly how we met eight years ago: a minute before the start of Steck’s slide show, I ran into a crowded hall, all the seats were occupied, the audience was waiting, only one young man, thin and inconspicuous, stood between the rows.
Convinced that he was the Swiss equivalent of the grandma-ticketeer of the St. Petersburg theaters, in desperation I rushed to him for help. Quietly, it seems, even silently, he led me across the hall to the only free seat (in the first row!), and then went up onto the stage and turned out to be... Ueli Steck. That same evening, delighted and enchanted, not only by Uli’s records, but also by Uli’s human qualities, I asked him for an interview. In March 2010, I left Zurich for Basel to meet the world’s toughest extreme climber.
Solo. In free fall
The Swiss Ueli Steck is a superman: he does the impossible. He climbs without oxygen tanks on rocks, on ice, on mixed terrain, on sheer walls at a height where most professional climbers get altitude sickness. He discovers new routes in the mountains and prefers to go through the most difficult of them alone - solo. He rarely uses belay and sets world records for ascent speed.
I'm waiting for Ueli Steck in a private park near Basel, in a rectangular pavilion made entirely of glass. There are no walls, everything is transparent, and I can look at Uli without being seen. He drives up in a car with Bernese license plates, gets out, hanging his bag over his shoulder, and walks towards the pavilion with a very characteristic gait, as if the law of attraction, by special arrangement, binds him weaker to the earth. In a park near Basel, the wind howls for a long time, trying to get through the cracks of the glass pavilion. Steck enters, shivering from the cold.
However, Steck does not take a sleeping bag with him even when he goes to the Himalayas and spends the night on the peaks in thirty-degree frost. In pursuit of speed, he refuses the most necessary things - provisions, a sleeping bag or a safety rope. The lighter the weight, the faster the rise. Few can boast that they have been to an eight-thousander.
Are you frozen?
Yes, I'm frozen. I love it when it's warm!
How do you feel when you are at the top? And in general - how is it up there?
At such a height, of course, there is less oxygen, the air is more rarefied, it is heavier, and it is also cold. Today, not only athletes can climb the eight-thousander. You can buy a commercial tour. Therefore, it is not just a matter of the height at which the peak is located. It’s also a matter of which route to choose and which wall to climb. I choose the most difficult ones or those that no one has walked yet.
The last eight-thousander (out of fourteen in the world) was climbed in 1964. In those years, the most important thing was the maximum height, and the easiest route was chosen. Today, there are completely different trends in mountaineering - extreme climbers are attracted by complexity and inaccessibility.
What about the feeling of loneliness?
Yes, it is, because I go alone, solo. In such cases, you realize that a person cannot equate himself with nature. When you are on a wall of two thousand meters, you spend the night in it, you realize how majestic the mountain world and nature are, how powerful they are.
Why do you prefer solo ascents?
This is the most serious test.
Isn’t it too frivolous to constantly risk your life and tempt fate?
I live very intensely and am very aware of what it means to live. What will happen to us tomorrow, none of us knows, including you. The feeling of complete security is an illusion. I learned this in mountaineering because I constantly put myself in danger. But I didn’t do it lightly; on the contrary, I always knew what risks I was taking. The degree of risk in mountaineering can be calculated; it is important to be well prepared.
Weather forecasts are very accurate these days.
But probably not in the Himalayas.
The Himalayas are much better than Switzerland! Even their forecasts for Switzerland are more accurate than our local ones... Much can be predicted. Perhaps from the outside my “experiments” really look frivolous, but they are not. I am a typical Swiss, very careful, organized, correct. For example, climbing a route like Excalibur seems crazy to an ordinary person.
At first the wall seemed absolutely smooth to me, then I began to study it and saw that it had a structure, irregularities that you could cling to. I mentally created a plan for myself, and in the end, I didn’t think twice about what move to make. I could go this route with eyes closed, I knew all the difficult parts by heart and could draw them on a piece of paper. Good preparation gives a feeling full control over the situation.
Concentration becomes meditation
Exalibur is a three hundred and fifty meter rock wall in the Bernese Highlands. Before climbing without a belay and alone, Ueli Steck climbed there five times with a belay, studying every step, every roughness of the stone, tapping the rock like a doctor tapping a patient’s chest. During the climb to Exalibur, he was so focused that there was simply no room for any thoughts other than those that calculated the next step. There are situations when there is only a second, only now!
At such moments, concentration becomes meditation. In a solo style, you can always - as a last resort - grab a hook and wait for help; in free solo style there are no auxiliary means, you rely only on your own strength. This requires not only excellent physical preparation, but, above all, a flexible psyche, capable of instantly adapting to different situations.
On Exalibur, Uli was watched by chamois. He took salt for them on training climbs, and over time the animals became almost tame and came very close - half a meter. These few chamois made the ascent with Uli and descended the Exalibur with him. But they could not climb the route of an extreme climber - they are excellent climbers, but not as tenacious as Steck. In a small cave in the rock of Exalibur, he left his jade amulet - a gift from a jeweler friend - in gratitude to the mountain for the fact that the extremely difficult and dangerous climb was successful.
I have the impression that you almost personify the mountains; for you they are not just stones, but something living.
For me, all nature is alive, mountains are not just dead mass. I have deep respect for mountains.
Which mountains do you have a special relationship with?
Each is attractive in its own way. But I know that I can’t conquer every peak on Earth—I simply don’t have enough time. It’s hard to say why I go to a particular mountain; it depends on many factors, including accidents. Sometimes mountains that I haven’t been to, maybe even never seen, are attractive to me. Sometimes, on the contrary, there are mountains with which I have already built a relationship - for example, Makalu or Annapurna.
I don't require a reward
Annapurna in the Himalayas is the first eight-thousander mountain to be climbed. Uli was there twice, and both times he had to interrupt the expedition. In 2007, due to a stone falling on him, breaking his protective helmet to smithereens, he lost consciousness and fell as much as three hundred meters. In 2008 - because of one tragic story in the Himalayas on the South Face of Annapurna.
Ueli Steck and his Swiss mountaineer friend, with whom he was preparing the first ascent of the wall, were at base camp when they received a radio call from above, from a height of seven and a half thousand meters, and asked for help. The Spaniard Iñaki Ochoa and his expedition comrade Horia Colibasenu developed altitude sickness. The helicopter called to rescue Iñaki and Horiya could not fly above the base camp, it vibrated and had difficulty keeping itself from capsizing into the gorge.
Ueli Steck took dexemethasone and began to make his way upstairs into the night, into the snow. When, three days later, falling through the snow, having climbed three thousand meters, he reached the climbers, Iñaki could no longer move. For two days, Uli melted the snow, gave him water and injections, while consulting with a doctor in Switzerland. But nothing helped the Spaniard. When Iñaki died, Ueli Steck buried him, throwing his body into a crevice.
For providing assistance to the climbers, Uli, other members of the international expedition (several of them Russian) and the Sherpas received the gold medal of the Spanish government “For merits in sports.” Another award was presented to W. Steck in 2009 - the French Order “Piolet d’or”, the mountaineering “Oscar”.
You have several awards, don't you? For example, a medal from the Spanish government.
I didn't see her in person. This is completely normal when you are at the top and the person there is in trouble, you need to help him. It is I who must help - this is my personal opinion. I didn’t go to the awards ceremony; I’m not interested in it at all. It is unthinkable that one can be rewarded for help; this is some kind of problem in our society.
But you had to interrupt your project in the Himalayas; it required enormous preparation! And you climbed up to Iñaki for a long time in very difficult conditions!
I went up three days and spent two days with him.
Another of your awards is Eiger. You received it for the speed record on the North Face. What does this mountain mean to you?
The Eiger is a special mountain for me, I have been there so many times already. About thirty times - I mean only the North Wall. And that’s why I have a lot of impressions from Iger, different, but very positive, and this gives me a feeling of something familiar. Great feeling! The Eiger is the mountain where I feel at home.
Speed. Chasing speed
The Eiger is one of three nearby famous mountains of the Bernese Oberland - Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. From the top of the Jungfrau originates the largest glacier in Europe - Aletsch, a glacial desert twenty-four kilometers long. The highest mountain in Europe leads to the Jungfrau Railway, it was this that partly determined the popularity of the North Face of the Eiger. It is also called the “wall of death.” After all, this is the most difficult route in the Alps, requiring not so much rock climbing as ice climbing, a very special technique.
After another death during an attempt to conquer the Eiger, the Berne court even imposed a ban on climbing the North Face. However, after a few months it was canceled. Only the most experienced climbers can conquer the Eiger. The ascent takes about two days. They spend the night tied with safety ropes, sitting on small ledges that the wall has carefully prepared for its rare guests.
In 2003, a South Tyrolean climbed the North Face of the Eiger in four and a half hours, which made Ueli Steck wonder how 1,800 meters of rock and ice could be climbed in such a short time. In February 2007, he climbed the wall twice to study it better, then climbed the classic Heckmeyer route and achieved a record time of 3 hours 54 minutes!
After analyzing his record, Uli realized that he had not used his capabilities to the maximum. For a year he prepared for the next ascent - and it became a sensation. Having abandoned the safety rope (saving on weight and time spent on insurance) and having lost five kilograms, Steck literally flies up the “wall of death”, breaking his own record - in 2 hours, 47 minutes, 33 seconds.
Ueli Steck is famous for the speed of completing the most difficult routes. By the way, two books about Uli published by National Geographic are called “Speed” and “Solo”. There are thirty-three routes to climb the North Face of the Eiger, and one of them was discovered by Uli with another famous Swiss climber, Stefan Siegrist. This is the most direct and most difficult route.
When you look at photographs in which you cling to steep cliffs above an abyss, you get the impression that you are a fearless hero, just like James Bond. Do you know what fear is?
I am a very fearful person. Fear is an important feeling. If a person does not feel fear, he can overestimate himself and make a mistake that could cost him his life. Fear helps us survive, especially in our profession, it helps us prepare well for a hike and correctly assess the situation. But I - I'm really very cautious and, in fact, even fearful. You laugh, but that’s exactly how it is. Even in everyday life! I am a typical Swiss, I take security issues very seriously, this also applies to different types social insurance and pension fund or thoughts about the future.
Do you ride a bicycle with a helmet?
Well, no, not that much. But, for example, I’m terribly afraid to walk through dark alleys in cities.
But you can always run away.
Yes, I run fast.
What do you especially appreciate when returning from hiking in the mountains?
Probably comfort, especially when I return home from a long expedition. Not freezing when getting out of bed in the morning and drinking a cup of warm coffee is great! But then there comes a time when I have to step out of my comfort zone, when I have to leave. Because staying home is too easy. This is not for me.
Solo style
It’s time for Steck to leave: we need to prepare for the performance, which will soon begin in the hall of the glass pavilion. These reports, in which pictures are much more expressive than words, are his main income. We say goodbye and he thanks me for coming to Basel.
I walked to the exit along the central path of a private English-style park—to a high gate with a wrought-iron grille. They were tightly closed, and I had to find the place where the brick frame of the gate connected to the wire fencing. And, although I was sure that the entrance to the park was being monitored by video cameras, I turned around and, making sure that there was no one behind me, climbed over the fence. In solo style and without insurance.
Great north faces of the Alps), for which he received the nickname "Swiss Machine".Died on April 30, 2017 in the Himalayas during an acclimatization trip in preparation for a high-speed passage of the Everest-Lhotse traverse without the use of additional oxygen.
I grew up near the mountains and started climbing at the age of 12. I discovered them for myself, and it was an omen. Mountaineering is an ideal way to learn to think and learn at the same time. The rules are simple and obvious. If you didn't take a sleeping bag, you'll be cold. If you are not strong enough, you will not be able to climb...Already at the age of 17, Uli climbed the eastern ridge on (a 30-pitch route with a difficulty of 5.10 on the YDS scale), and a year later (in 1995) together with Markus Iff (eng. Markus Iff) he climbed in two days in alpine style The northern face of the Eiger (according to the classics, which later, in total, was climbed more than three dozen times, including along new routes). Over the next few years, he honed his skills on classic alpine routes. In 1998, Uli soloed the 1000-meter Haston Couloir to the top of Mönch (TD + (fr. très difficile) - " extremely difficult"according to the French scale), in winter 2001 he climbed Pointe Walker (Grand Jorasses) along the ridge of the same name (English: Walker Spur) (an extremely difficult route over 1200 meters long) and in the same year made the first ascent in the Himalayas (c) along the western face at Pumori (1400 meters, M4 [M scale]). A year later in Alaska, he and Sean Easton laid new route Blood from a stone (Blood From the Stone)(5.9-A1-M7-AI6+, 1600 m) on, considered one of the most impressive first ascents in this region in the first decade of the 21st century.
Steck's focus always remained on the north wall of the Eiger. By the beginning of the new millennium, Uli had climbed it along almost all previously laid routes. On October 15, 2001, together with him, he climbed to the top along his own new route along the center of the northern wall - The Young Spider (Young spider), 1800 meters, A2, W16/M7. In 2003 (after two unsuccessful attempts to climb the northern face of Jeanne) on June 29-30 - in two days, Steck, together with Siegrist, climbed the redpoint route (“pure” climbing without using stationary belay points) La Vida es Silbar(900 meters, 7C, V [via Red Rock]).
Having already made a name in the mountaineering community, Steck became most famous in 2004 after free climbing (without using ropes) an extra-difficult alpine route along the edge Excalibur(5.10d) (the ascent was filmed from a helicopter by his friend and professional photographer Robert Boesch, and these pictures were later spread around the largest Swiss media). Uli did not fail to capitalize on his sharply increased popularity with sponsorship from famous brands such as Wenger, Scarpa, Petzl, Mountain Hardwear and others, and since then his name has become the eponymous brand associated with new mountaineering achievements. Regarding this impressive sponsorship, Steck stated: “ I want to live from climbing... I don't want to live in a pickup truck» .
In June of the same 2004, he and Siegrist climbed the northern walls of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau in just 25 hours (it took them nine hours to complete the route Heckmair to the Eiger, three hours for the route Lauper to Mönch and five hours for the route Lauper on the Jungfrau - at the last of the total time they spent three hours covering only the last 150 meters). A year later, Uli took part in the Khumbu-Express Expedition, during which he made the first solo ascents of the north face (6440 m) and east wall(6505 m), and in the winter of 2006 (from January 7 to 11) he walked for five days, but already solo, his own route to the Eiger Young spider .
A year later, on February 21, 2007, Ueli Steck set a world speed record for ascent on the north face of the Eiger (via the classic route), reaching the summit in 3 hours 54 minutes, improving the previous speed record set in 2003 by 36 minutes (according to statistics This was Steck’s 22nd ascent of the wall, and by that time he had spent 48 days of his life on the wall). In the spring, Steck made his first solo attempt on the South Face of Annapurna, which ended on May 21 with a fall from a 300-meter height, and only by miracle did the climber survive (he was swept off the wall by a rockfall and then managed to independently reach the base camp).
2008 was the culmination of the Swiss's career. On 13 February he broke his own speed record for climbing the Eiger, improving his time to 2 hours 47 minutes 33 seconds. On April 24, together with Simon Anthamatten (German: Simon Anthamatten), he made the first ascent in alpine style on the northwest face of Teng Kang Poche (6,487 m, VI, M7+/M6, A0, 85 deg., 2000 m ), for which the bundle was awarded the highest award in mountaineering - the Golden Ice Ax award (2009). In May (together with Anthamatten) he made a second attempt to climb the South Face of Annapurna, but it was unsuccessful - instead of a solo program, Uli participated in the rescue of a Spanish climber, who developed pulmonary edema at altitude. Steck, with medicines at an accelerated pace, despite the high avalanche danger, climbed from the base camp (3000 m below) to 7400 m in three days and tried to save him, but the efforts were in vain, and the Spaniard died in his arms. After this tragedy, Uli admitted that he would need time to return to the mountains again. However, at the end of the year, on December 28, he made the fastest ascent in history to the Grande Jorasses along the North Face (to the Pointe Walker peak) along the route Colton - Mc'Intyre(Colton-MacIntyre Route, M6, WI6, 1200 m) - 2 hours 21 minutes (Steck had not previously climbed this route; for the ascent he took with him a 50-meter bay of 5 mm rope [K 1], two ice screws, two bolts and four carbines, but he didn’t need this arsenal either). Two more weeks later - on January 13, 2009 - Steck set an absolute record in completing the first three, covering 1000 vertical meters in 1:56 ( Schmid Route) along the North Face of the Matterhorn. On May 30, 2008, Ueli Steck in Grindelwald became the first laureate of the Eiger Award, established in the same year, awarded for “ popularization of mountaineering through our own achievements» .
The Swiss devoted the next few years of his career to climbing in the Himalayas. In February 2011, he launched his ambitious Project Himalaya (sponsored by Mountain Hardwear), during which it was planned to make high-speed ascents of three eight-thousanders, including Everest, within one season (April - May). On April 17, in just ten and a half hours, he solo climbed the southwest face from the base camp on Shisha Pangmu (8027 m) (20 hours ascent/descent). 18 days later, on May 5, together with the American climber Uli, in less than a day, climbed from the foot to the top of Cho Oyu (8188 m) - the sixth highest peak in the world, and on May 21, together with Bowie, he attempted to climb to the top of the world, however, due to the risk of frostbite on his legs, he was forced to interrupt it a little over a hundred meters from the final goal. "" [To 3] The following year, on May 18, 2012, Uli, together with Sherpa Tenji Sherpa, climbed Everest along the classic route from the south, and it became the fifth eight-thousander in his career.
... I'm not going to sacrifice any of my fingers to Everest... So it's better to go down. Everest will remain, and I can return!Also in 2012, “Swiss Machine” Ueli Steck performed in a role that was not quite usual for him. On August 18-19, together with Markus Zimmerman (German: Markus Zimmerman), in less than 15 hours he completed “ climbing-paragliding transition» along the Jungfrau-Mönch-Eiger route. The partners took off on paragliders with a tailwind from the observation deck of a restaurant at the top of the Schilthorn, after 6 km of flight they landed on the other side of the valley, climbed 1000 meters in altitude to the shelter, where they spent the evening, “ enjoying the beautiful sunset" At 3 a.m. the couple began climbing the Rottalgrat ridge (German: Rottalgrat), and already at 8 a.m. from the top of the Jungfrau they flew in the direction of Mönch, the foot of the northern wall of which Uli reached after 27 minutes of flight (Zimmerman was carried by the wind to the other side of the mountain). Climbing the route in 1 hour 55 minutes Lauper to the top, Steck flew towards the shelter on the eastern ridge of the same name of the Eiger. Having safely reached it, Uli followed it at 15:13 to the last peak of the famous trio, “in”. Having descended a little along the western ridge, Uli paraglided down again and landed at exactly 17.00 in the parking lot of the village, where a car was waiting for him.
another, countless times, but still an exciting and special moment for meIn April 2013, Ueli Steck and his team (Simone Moro and high altitude cameraman Jonathan Griffith [ Jonathan Griffith]) found themselves at the center of an international mountaineering scandal. As part of the planned implementation of the Everest-Lhotse traverse project, the Uli group, during the acclimatization trip along the classic route from the south, due to the inconsistency of their actions with the Sherpa guides [K 4], hanging ropes between the high-altitude camps on the eve of the start of the season, after descending to Camp II was subjected to physical attack by the latter due to an allegedly dropped piece of ice from above. This incident, as a real threat to the life and health of Steck and his partners, not only led to the unscheduled end of the expedition (despite the “peace agreement” signed later), but also to a comprehensive discussion of the conflict in the mountaineering community and, naturally, media coverage. However, already in the fall, Ueli Steck returned to the Himalayas again to try for the third time to climb the South Face of Annapurna, and this time his attempt was successful - on October 9 (within 28 hours of ascent/descent from the base camp), Steck was the first in the world to climb soloed one of the most technically difficult walls on an eight-thousander (along an unfinished route in 1992), for which in 2014 he became a two-time winner of the Golden Ice Axe. After the ascent, Uli stated: "" [K 5].
I think I've finally found my altitude limit; if I climb anything more difficult than this, I'll definitely kill myself. But I really wanted to go through something technical like this.Not stopping there, on March 17, 2014, Uli, together with a German climber, climbed all three northern walls of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo massif for the first time in winter in a record 15 hours 42 minutes (along the route Cassina on Chima-Ovest, Komichi on Cima Grande and Innerkofler on Cima Piccola), and at the end of 2015 he broke the record for the speed of ascent on the north face of the Eiger for the third time, climbing it alone in 2 hours 22 minutes and 50 seconds, thus becoming the absolute record holder for speed ascents on the great northern walls of the Alps (Uli's previous record for speed climbing the Eiger in 2008 was broken by a Swiss on April 20, 2011, his time was 2 hours 28 minutes).
In the same 2015, in just 62 days, Steck climbed all 82 alpine peaks over 4000 meters high, although according to the original plan he allocated 80 days for the implementation of this project. Of these, 31 were completed solo, and 51 with various partners, including his own wife Nicole, Michi Woleben and others. This brilliant achievement, however, was overshadowed by the death of the Dutch climber Martijn Seuren as a result of a fall in the Mont Blanc massif.
In the spring of 2016, Ueli Steck, together with the German climber Dafyd Göttler (German: David Göttler), intended to climb a new route along the South Face of Shisha Pangma, but due to weather conditions it was not successful. As part of this expedition, climbers discovered the remains of the American team and David Bridges (We are all inclined to talk about more modest intentions, but if we manage to achieve something more ambitious, why not report it. The Horseshoe is extremely difficult, no one has climbed it. But if who was capable of this was only Ueli Steck... He was the one who made the impossible possible
Despite his impeccable reputation, the facts of the ascent of Shisha Pangma 2011 and Annapurna 2013, for which Ueli Steck received his second Golden Ice Ax, were questioned by the mountaineering community, since Ueli was unable, first of all, to provide only direct (photo, video) evidence of being on the peaks, but also even indirect - GPS data, hand altimeter, etc. Steck’s main accuser of falsifying these achievements was the French journalist Rodolphe Popier, who in his investigation, in addition listed facts, drew attention to many other factors. Among them are discrepancies in the testimony of Uli himself, the unevenness of the rhythm during ascents (at the highest and most difficult sections of the climb, Uli’s speed increased significantly compared to simpler sections of the route), and the inconsistency of the testimony of outside observers with those presented by Steck. One of the weighty arguments “against” Annapurna was the fact that ten days later a French team climbed Annapurna along Steck’s route, but they found no traces of Uli above his bivouac. However, according to the French themselves, during the 10 days that separated the ascent, a half-meter layer of snow fell on Annapurna, which, naturally, hid all traces.
The arguments of the critics, reflected in the reports of Rodolphe Popier, were considered at the International Forum on Proof in Mountaineering under the auspices of Piolets d’Or. As of 2017, there is no question about the inconsistency of Ueli Steck's claims regarding the ascents of Shisha Pangma and Annapurna.
Ueli Steck was married to Nicole Steck. He spoke French, English and Italian.
His achievements were not the result of a combination of nature-given physical and emotional qualities with motivation. Back in 2007, after climbing the Eiger, being, in his own opinion, at the peak of his athletic form, Ueli was examined at the Swiss Federal Institute of Sports Magglingen, which, based on the results of the research, issued a short verdict: “ Out of shape unsympathisch My main source of inspiration is my thirst for learning. Knowledge gives freedom. To acquire this knowledge, you need to study. To be free, you need to be calm, and to be calm, you need long and painful training. In order to achieve mastery top level, you need to fully immerse yourself in the sport, you need passion, but at the same time you must accept, feel that you are just starting out, like a student, and continue to study. This is important to understand if you want to be a professional and strive for success.
Terrible news came from Nepal today.
According to confirmed information from representatives of the Nepla Department of Tourism, it became known that the legendary Swiss climber, 40 years old, died while climbing the seven-thousander Nuptse near the first high-altitude camp on the Western slope of the mountain.
His body was discovered this morning on a mountainside by Nepalese Sherpas and has now been transported to Kathmandu.
Uli became the first victim of the spring climbing season in the Himalayas...
According to updated information, the tragedy occurred today, April 30 in the morning (around 8-9 am local time). Uli went out for the acclimatization climb early in the morning, according to his own words, which he shared the day before this climb, the mountain was in good condition: not too much snow and not as cold as it could have been.
The accident itself occurred at 7200 meters, where the route enters a rocky area. As a result of the accident, Uli fell 1000 meters down the slope.
Several people saw Uli fall, and soon his body was discovered just below the second high-altitude camp, at around 6400 meters along the Nuptse route.
From the Editor:
The first high-altitude camp of the ascent route to the 7000-meter Nuptse coincides with the first high-altitude camp of the ascent route to both Everest and Lhotse
Larry Dougherty, a climber who climbed with the Adventure Ascents team, said: “The body of Ueli Steck was found at the base of the Western Face of Nuptse, apparently he climbed solo and without insurance. He carried out this ascent of Nuptse as part of acclimatization before the Everest-Lhotse traverse.
From the Editor:
As we previously reported: .
This time, Uli’s plans included nothing less than the first ever oxygen-free ascent along the Everest-Lhotse traverse route.
Uli was accompanied on his climb by his comrade, 24-year-old Nepalese Sherpa Tenji Sherpa, who had already climbed to the top of Everest in 2012 and did this climb without the use of oxygen cylinders.You can read more about this expedition in the interview:
The cause of the tragedy is not exactly known at the moment, but based on the fact that there was no one near Uli, we the real reason We'll never know.
But, presumably, the cause of death was a fall from a steep section of the route, or he slipped on an ice section."
In this acclimatization climb, Uli had already climbed to the 7000-meter mark on Everest, and he did this in his “crown” high-speed style, but what is more remarkable is that without the use of high-altitude climbing equipment, the race was literally done in sneakers!
Apparently, he decided to repeat this race to the neighboring peak of Nuptse.
"Speed ascent from Base camp to 7000 meters and back in one day! I love these mountains, they are huge here. I still believe in an active acclimatization program, it is much more effective than spending long nights in high altitude camps."- Uli wrote on April 26, 4 days before his death.
The death of Ueli Steck was a terrible tragedy in mountaineering....
The climber’s family has already reported that they are in endless sadness in connection with his death and that they ask to abandon any speculation and speculation related to the circumstances of his death and that the family and friends themselves are currently not ready to provide any additional information.
By unanimous decision of the entire Uli family,
Ueli Steck's body is transported to Kathmandu:
Let us recall that in 2013, in the same area, the famous man died, who, like Uli, was making an acclimatization climb, then the cause of death was.
In his mountaineering career, Ueli Steck achieved heights that no other climber could repeat, especially his high-speed ascents alone and without the use of belay.
For these achievements he
And if in the Alps, his native mountains, Uli left no room for doubt, having accomplished a real feat: setting up the so-called “trilogy Northern Walls Alps", then in the big mountains - the Himalayas, when climbing eight-thousanders, his ascents were more than once criticized.
“A former carpenter, Uli never aspired to become a real climber or mountain guide, he simply turns mountaineering into a “sport”, and his position in the world is maintained by no more than dozens of his fans.”- Ueli Steck's critics said.
In addition, Uli was known as one of the defendants in the world-famous conflict on Everest, which occurred in the spring of 2013, when three Western climbers, including Uli, were beaten by Nepalese Sherpas.
You can learn about this conflict from a short interview with Uli:
