Famed Swiss climber Ueli Steck dies in Everest training accident

By Nicole Chavez, CNN
2 minute read
Updated 1:19 AM EDT, Mon May 1, 2017
Swiss climber Ueli Steck was killed Sunday in an accident near Mount Everest, Nepal's tourism department said. The 40-year-old died when he slipped from a slope and fell into a crevasse at around 6,600 meters on Mount Nuptse, expedition organizers said.
Swiss climber Ueli Steck was killed Sunday in an accident near Mount Everest, Nepal's tourism department said. The 40-year-old died when he slipped from a slope and fell into a crevasse at around 6,600 meters on Mount Nuptse, expedition organizers said.
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Steck is seen during a training climb near the village of Chukung, in the Khumbu region in the Himalayas, in February 2017.
Steck is seen during a training climb near the village of Chukung, in the Khumbu region in the Himalayas, in February 2017.
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Steck on April 24 in the Himalayas prepares himself for an ascent of Mount Everest.
Steck on April 24 in the Himalayas prepares himself for an ascent of Mount Everest.
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Steck crosses a bridge during a training run in Nepal's Khumbu Valley.
Steck crosses a bridge during a training run in Nepal's Khumbu Valley.
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After climbing the Aiguille Verte, a mountain in the French Alps, Steck prepares to parachute down in December 2016.
After climbing the Aiguille Verte, a mountain in the French Alps, Steck prepares to parachute down in December 2016.
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Steck tackles a steep rock face.
Steck tackles a steep rock face.
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Ueli Steck, the 'Swiss Machine,' dies in climbing accident

Story highlights

The "Swiss Machine" was killed in a mountaineering accident

He planned to climb 8,850-meter Mount Everest in May

CNN  — 

Swiss climber Ueli Steck was killed Sunday in an accident near Mount Everest, Nepal’s tourism department said.

The 40-year-old died when he slipped from a slope and fell into a crevasse at around 6,600 meters on Mount Nuptse, expedition organizers told CNN.

His body has been recovered and airlifted to Lukla, where the nearest airport to Mount Everest is located, Dinesh Bhattarai, of the Nepal Tourism Department said.

The “Swiss Machine” was acclimatizing himself as he planned to ascend 8,850-meter Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse next month, Mingma Sherpa, an official with expedition organizer Seven Summit Treks said.

“Quick Day from Basecamp up to 7,000m and back. I love it is such a great place here. I still believe in active aclimatisation. This is way more effective then spending nights up in the altitude,” Steck wrote on Facebook last Wednesday.

Steck was known for his speed and versatility. He set several records, including ascending the north face of the Eiger in the Bernese Alps in less than three hours.

He won the Piolet D’or, mountaineering’s highest honor in 2009 and 2014.

“My deep condolences to all of Ueli’s family, friends and admirers around the world. This is a truly tragic day in mountaineering,” famed climber Alan Arnette wrote on his website.

This photograph taken on April 20, 2015 shows a view of Mount Everest (C-top) towering over the Nupse, from the village of Tembuche in the Khumbu region of northeastern Nepal. Sherpas, thought to be of Tibetan origin, have a long and proud history of mountaineering, and the term today is used for all Nepalese high-altitude porters and guides assisting climbing expeditions around Everest. The April 25 quake, which left more than 7,800 people dead across Nepal, was the Himalayan nation's deadliest disaster in over 80 years, and triggered an avalanche which killed 18 people on Everest, leading mountaineering companies to call off their spring expeditions, marking the second year with virtually no summits to the roof of the world. AFP PHOTO / ROBERTO SCHMIDT (Photo credit should read ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)
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His death is the first casualty of the this year’s spring mountaineering season in Nepal, which is expected to involve 365 registered climbers from 39 teams, officials said.

Last year, six climbers died on Mount Everest.

In 2016 Steck and fellow mountaineer David Goettler discovered the frozen remains of world renowned climber Alex Lowe, and cameraman David Bridges, on the Tibetan mountain of Shishapangma. The men were presumed dead after an avalanche struck them in 1999.

In 2013, Steck and two other climbers attempted to climb the Everest and nearby Mount Lhotse but a fight broke out between the climbers and a group of Sherpa guides.

CNN’s Sugam Pokharel and Karen Smith contributed to this report.