Losing a Fellow Climber
It’s been quiet here in the blog. One reason is the good weather – I’ve been out on the rocks or doing stuff around the yard… This weekend it’s kitesurfing, for a change…
I’ve meant to post this week, but bad news hit. Wednesday. Fellow friend and climber, Levi Szabo died in the Nepalese Himalayas on Manaslu (8154 meters) whille descending to C4. Extremely tired, he slipped on relatively easy terrain and couldn’t regain his control after a slide and went over a 500 meter cliff at 7300 meters.
His two mates, shocked and bewildered couldn’t initiate rescue because of fog and snowfall setting in, but had found him the following morning dead at 6800 meters. He was only 20 meters from his tent when he fell!! Death on one of the most dangerous 8000 m mountains in the world shouldn’t come as a surprise and it normally doesn’t – unless it involves a friend. I don’t know about others, but when I hear of K2 or Everest tragedies, it doesn’t strike me. Call me whatever you may, or judge me, but it just don’t. Of course, I sympathise with the families… but I’ve just come to expect those kinds of news.
It’s always different in the case of a friend, though. It completely overshadows the success of an other friend and fellow guide, Zsolt Er?ss, who actually summited Manaslu on Tuesday, bagging his eighth 8000er.
Levi knew a thing or two about death. As a surgeon and special rescue team member, he volunteered as a doctor at several Asian catastrophes, including the great tsunami a few years back. I can’t tell you a ‘moral of the story’ but I’m sure to grow smarter, once the expedition returns home (June 6th) and we learn the details.
Rest with God, Levi…