Officials from the Nepal Tourism Board stated this afternoon (30th) that Ueli Steck, the legendary mountaineering hero known as the "Swiss Machine," tragically lost his life this morning while climbing the Nuptse wall. He was 40 years old. His body has now been transported to Kathmandu.
The Swiss mountaineer Ueli Steck had returned to Mount Everest this year to acclimatize and was preparing to tackle an unclimbed route starting in May. Dinesh Bhattarai, director of the tourism board, said that "Steck fell approximately 1,000 meters from Camp 2 on the Nuptse wall this morning. Other climbers spotted him and immediately alerted the authorities." His body has been recovered and was flown to Kathmandu, Nepal, by helicopter.
Renowned for his astonishing speed, Steck earned the nickname "Swiss Machine." In 2012, he reached the summit of Everest without supplemental oxygen; in 2013, he returned to Everest but, after a fierce dispute with his Sherpa guide, angrily vowed never to return; and in 2015, he set a record by summiting 82 Alpine peaks over 4,000 meters in just 62 days. The British Mountaineering Council described Steck as a "legendary climber and all-around legend."
(China Times)