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Erhard Loretan (28 April 1959 – 28 April 2011) was a Swiss mountain climber, often described as one of the greatest mountaineers of all times.
In April 2011, Loretan and his partner Xenia Minder were climbing the
Erhard Loretan on Jerberyd.se
1959 births 2011 deaths Accidental deaths in Switzerland Mountaineering deaths People convicted of manslaughter Summiters of all 14 eight-thousanders Swiss mountain climbers People from Bulle Sport deaths in Switzerland {{Switzerland-sport-bio-stub
Biography
Loretan was born inBulle
Bulle (; frp, Bulo ) is a municipality in the district of Gruyère in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. In January 2006 Bulle incorporated the formerly independent municipality of La Tour-de-Trême.
History
Ancient times
Bulle is first ...
in the canton of Fribourg. He trained as a cabinet maker (1979) and mountain guide (1981).
Loretan was the third person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders
The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) recognises eight-thousanders as the 14 mountains that are more than in height above sea level, and are considered to be sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no ...
(second without oxygen), a feat he accomplished at the age of 36. He made his first expedition to the Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
in 1980 and began climbing the eight-thousanders in 1982 with an ascent of Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat ( ur, ) (; ), known locally as Diamer () which means “king of the mountains”, is the ninth-highest mountain on Earth, its summit at above sea level. Lying immediately southeast of the northernmost bend of the Indus River in ...
. Thirteen years later, in 1995, he climbed the last of them, Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, Kanchanjanghā (), and Khangchendzonga, is the third highest mountain in the world. Its summit lies at in a section of the Himalayas, the ''Kangchenjunga Himal'', which is bounded in the west by the ...
. Loretan took the principles of climbing fast and light in the Alps and applied them to the biggest mountains on Earth. In 1984, he did a first ascent of Annapurna (8091m) by the 7km long east ridge with Norbert Joos and descended via the north side, a traverse that has never been repeated. In 1986, together with Jean Troillet
Jean Troillet (born 10 March 1948) is a professional mountain climber.
Of Swiss and Canadian nationality, he obtained his mountain guide qualifications in 1969. Also in 1969, and at the age of 21, he set a speed record for an ascent of the Matt ...
, Loretan made a revolutionary ascent of Mount Everest
Mount Everest (; Tibetic languages, Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is List of highest mountains on Earth, Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border ru ...
in only 40 hours, climbing by night and without the use of supplementary oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...
. In 1988, he completed a new route with Voytek Kurtyka on the Nameless Tower (6239m), Trango Towers, Pakistan. In 1994, he made a solo first ascent of Mt Epperly (4508m) in Antarctica’s Sentinel Range. While making the ascent, he noticed a nameless peak, c4800m, steeper and more difficult than Epperly. In autumn 1995, after climbing Kangchenjunga (his fourteenth 8000m mountain), Loretan returned to Antarctica and made a first solo ascent of this peak, which has been named Peak Loretan.
Loretan was convicted in 2003 of the manslaughter of his seven-month-old son, after shaking him for a short period of time to stop him crying in late 2001. He was given a four-month suspended sentence. At that time shaken baby syndrome
Shaken baby syndrome (SBS), also known as abusive head trauma (AHT), is the leading cause of fatal head injuries in children younger than two years. Diagnosing the syndrome has proved both challenging and contentious for medical professionals, ...
(SBS) was largely unknown, but he decided to disclose his name to the press in the hope that other parents might avoid a similar tragedy. Publicity of the case raised awareness of the danger of shaking children due to their weak neck muscles.
In April 2011, Loretan and his partner Xenia Minder were climbing the Grünhorn
The Grünhorn (or ''Gross Grünhorn'') (4,044 m) is a mountain in the Bernese Alps range of the Swiss Alps. It is located on the ridge between the two largest glaciers of the Alps: the Aletsch Glacier to the west and the Fiescher Glacier to t ...
in the Swiss Alps when Minder slipped. The rope tying them together dragged them both down 200m. Minder was airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries, but Loretan did not survive. He died on his 52nd birthday.
Climbing history
See also
*List of 20th-century summiters of Mount Everest
Mount Everest, at is currently the world's highest mountain and is a particularly desirable peak for mountaineers. This is a list of people who reached the summit of Mount Everest in the 20th century. Overall about 1,383 people summited Evere ...
References
External links
Erhard Loretan on Jerberyd.se
1959 births 2011 deaths Accidental deaths in Switzerland Mountaineering deaths People convicted of manslaughter Summiters of all 14 eight-thousanders Swiss mountain climbers People from Bulle Sport deaths in Switzerland {{Switzerland-sport-bio-stub