Darwin Award nominee?

[n2doc]

Ericsson killed on first ski attempt of K2

By Megan Michelson
ESPN Action Sports
Archive


Fredrik Ericsson, killed Friday on a summit attempt of K2.


Swedish mountaineer and professional skier Fredrik "Frippe" Ericsson fell to his death while attempting to summit 28,253-foot K2, the world's second-tallest peak. He was 35.

The accident happened early Friday morning in Pakistan as Ericsson attempted to become the first man to ski from the summit to base camp.

Ericsson was climbing above Camp 4 (8,000 meters, the final push before the summit), near the crux of the climb called the Bottleneck, when he slipped and fell more than 1,000 feet.

David Schipper, a Moab, Utah, climber who attempted K2 in 2007, spoke via satellite phone with Ericsson's climbing partners, American Trey Cook and Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner.

"My understanding is that Frippe was preparing to fix the next route, he lost his purchase and could not arrest himself," Schipper said. "He fell approximately 1,000 meters. It isn't straight down. It's 60 or 70 degrees."

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http://sports.espn.go.com/action/freeskiing/news/story?id=5443216

[ellenfl]

1. doesn't sound like a darwin candidate to me, just unfortunate. eom

[exboyfil]

2. He would have been Darwin material if he actually died trying to

ski. Of course hauling the skis up the mountain may have caused the accident. Seem like a really hard thing to carry while mountain climbing.