Ueli Steck

[boxerscott]

I posted about this guy several years ago, he was simply amazing, a prime athlete and the best bar none speed climber (Human) in the world. His ascent of the Eiger is just mind boggling with the nonchalant parascend back down a couple of hours later. My adrenalin pumps just at the thought of him. I held him up as the only sportsperson other than Ali who influences me. He lost his life this week falling off a Mountain in the Himalayas. I heard the radio in the background at work and the name Ueli mentioned I feared the worst immediately. Enjoyed a lot of mountaineering books and the excellent Beckoning Silence by Joe Simpson, I am feeling dismayed but not surprised.

People go on about our popular brand stars but I doubt all of them of all time never ascended to the heights of human endurance than Ueli

https://www.outsideonline.com/2179186/w ... ecks-death

What a standard. Check this guy out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfpYNr7es0Y

[Grip Fast]

Astonishing ability that, as a non-climber, is beyond my comprehension. Yes, very sad yet probably not too surprising that it went wrong for him in the end.

2hr 22min is probably how long it takes me to get up Criffel in Dumfries & Galloway - a small hill with great views at the top.

[Hay Ewe^]

i dont know much about him but was aware of him and what he had done, saw a film about his speed run up the Eiger at the Banff Film Festival a few years ago.

Unfortunatly we dont hear of people like him too often because they are not mainstream.

[adam]

The thing that stunned me more than anything else about 'The Swiss Machine' was his utter confidence in his front points of his crampons when on mixed ground. A lesser mortal, gently weights them and assesses if it's ok, but not Ueli. I don't think his weight was on them long enough to be an issue However, a very sad loss to the Mountaineering community