Nuptse | 2017 N Face

A Switzerland expedition to Nuptse in 2017 via N Face, led by Ueli Steck. Summit reached on 30th April 2017. 1 members recorded.

Expedition Details

Field Value
ID 9493
Imported 2026-03-06 18:04:49.359634
Expedition ID NUPT17101
Peak ID NUPT
Year 2017
Season 1
Host Country 1
Route 1 N Face
Route 2 -
Route 3 -
Route 4 -
Nationality Switzerland
Leaders Ueli Steck
Sponsor Ueli Steck Everest-Lhotse Traverse
Success 1 False
Success 2 False
Success 3 False
Success 4 False
Ascent 1 -
Ascent 2 -
Ascent 3 -
Ascent 4 -
Claimed False
Disputed False
Countries -
Approach -
Basecamp Date -
Summit Date 2017-04-30
Summit Time -
Summit Days 0
Total Days 0
Termination Date -
Termination Reason 6
Termination Notes Abandoned at 7600m due to fatal accident
High Point (m) 7600
Traverse False
Ski False
Paraglide False
Camps 2
Fixed Rope (m) 0
Total Members 1
Summit Members 0
Member Deaths 1
Total Hired 1
Summit Hired 0
Hired Deaths 0
No Hired False
O2 Used False
O2 None True
O2 Climb False
O2 Descent False
O2 Sleep False
O2 Medical False
O2 Taken False
O2 Unknown False
Other Summits -
Campsites BC,C1,C2(29/04,6400m),xxx(30/04,7600m)
Route Notes Ueli Steck died 30 April on Nuptse from falling during an acclimatization climb. From Ueli Steck family media release: On April 29, 2017, Ueli Steck ascended from the Everest base camp to camp 2 on about 6400 meters above sea level. His original plan was to climb the next day for further acclimatization on the Everest traditional route to the almost 8000 meters high south col, in order to return to camp 2 on the same day. From camp 2, Ueli noted that the conditions in the Nuptse wall were ideal, which is why he decided in the evening to change his plan and to climb up to Nuptse the following day. On April 30, 2017, Ueli started at 4:30 am. Together with the Frenchman Yannick Graziani, he crossed the gaping glacier. Afterwards, Graziani continued on the Everest normal route towards camp 3, while Ueli went to the North Wall. Ueli's accident occurred on around 7600 meters at about 09.00 (local time). His body was finally recovered by the Italian helicopter pilot Maurizio Folini at a height of about 6600 meters and transferred to the hospital of Kathmandu. The cause of the accident is still unknown. In the following article, journalist and climber, Billi Bierling, pays tribute to her friend Ueli Steck, the Swiss elite climber who died on Sunday on an Everest expedition. Ueli Steck: Climbing in the here and now Since I first met Ueli in 2007 I got to know him rather well - partially because of the Himalayan Database (former journalist Elizabeth Hawley's authoritative record of mountaineering expeditions since the early 20th century to more than 300 significant Nepalese peaks) and the work I do for ‘Miss Hawley’ and partially on a private basis. What I liked about Ueli was his modesty and the fact that despite his amazing achievements he was down to earth - never arrogant. When you look at the CV on his website, it says: Profession: “trained carpenter” even before he lists all his incredible mountaineering achievements. It was always a pleasure to see him in Kathmandu and talk to him about his climbs for the records of Miss Hawley's Himalayan Database. Every once in a while, I also interviewed him as a journalist, and in particular for swissinfo.ch. He always took the time to talk to me, even though he hardly ever stayed in Kathmandu for longer than 24 hours. I remember the incident with the Sherpas in 2013. At the time, I was at Everest Base Camp and of course, I received a phone call that I wasn't necessarily looking forward to from Dale Bechtel, editor of the English service of swissinfo.ch, asking me whether I could interview Ueli. I did not want to bother Ueli with this as he was more to me than just a ‘subject’ for a good story - he was a friend. But still - I am a journalist at heart and so I went to see him. At first he said that he would not talk to the media but in the evening he came over to our camp and told me that he trusted me and that he would talk to me. I really appreciated it and the conversation revealed how shaken he had been by the whole event. ‘Swiss Machine’ label One thing Ueli did not particularly like was the term ‘Swiss Machine.’ He was branded with it, but he never warmed to this description of his abilities; so reading it all over the media now makes me almost sad. He was much more than a machine – he was a kind, down-to-earth and rather introverted person. We all know that he was extraordinary - I don't need to go into this. But I feel fortunate that I got to know Ueli personally and was lucky enough to enjoy his trust. I remember after he had got back from the South Face of Annapurna I, it did not take very long for the first doubters to emerge. I was trekking in the Khumbu when I received an email from a journalist trying to dig up some dirt about the ascent. It really shocked me that so shortly after this impressive climb, people were already trying to break him. I sent him a quick text to warn him and he just replied: “Thanks - it's great to have friends like you.” It makes me very sad that to this very day, people doubt his ascent of Annapurna I and of course, only Ueli knows whether he reached the top or not. But both Miss Hawley and I have always believed him as we are convinced that he was absolutely capable of doing this. I think a lot of the doubts came from the fact that people did not think it was feasible to do - but with Ueli it was. He made the impossible possible. Annapurna chapter When I heard about this tragic accident on Sunday morning, I was in the midst of translating his latest book, which I have been working on for the past two months. Ueli and I were very excited that one of his books was finally going to be published in the English-speaking world as he had always wanted to have an English version of one of his works. So I have lived and breathed Ueli for the past two months. I would like to share an excerpt from the Annapurna South Face chapter, which I re-read several times after I had heard about his accident. Maybe this section can help us better understand, where Ueli was coming from. Book excerpt “I was completely detached from the other world. There was nothing else but climbing. No goal, no future, no past. I was climbing in the here and now. One swing of the ice axe after the other; one step after the other. I only saw my ice axes and how they penetrated the snow and ice. My view narrowed and I had adopted some sort of tunnel vision. And here I was; in the middle of this gigantic face with very limited equipment. I felt light, but also extremely exposed. I knew that the tiniest mistake would mean certain death. However, I was not scared of making a mistake. I was still giving orders and controlling the person climbing the south face of Annapurna. It did not feel like me. If this person fell, it would not really concern me.” I remember when I once asked him how he could possibly not be scared when scaling such gigantic steep faces without a rope, he responded: “Climbing is like walking the stairs. I never expect to slip and fall. Do you?” And this is exactly how he viewed climbing - like walking the stairs. But unfortunately, on Sunday these stairs became fatal for him. It is a great loss for the climbing community; a great loss for his friends and family and of course a huge loss for his wife Nicole. My thoughts are with all of them and I will certainly remember Ueli as an amazing climber, a good friend and an inspiration for a lot of people. Despite his fervor for speedy ascents, he never lost his love and passion for the mountains.
Accidents -
Achievement -
Agency Royal Orchid Treks
Commercial Route False
Standard Route False
Primary Route False
Primary Member False
Primary Reference True
Primary ID EVER17146
Checksum 2461196
Year 2017
Summit Success False
O2 Summary None
Route (lowercase) n face

Members

1 recorded members.

Name Sex Year of Birth Citizenship Status Residence Occupation
Ueli Steck M 1976 Switzerland Leader Ringgenberg, Bern, Switzerland Alpinist Details Other expeditions

References

0 recorded references.