Ericsson accident details released.
Extreme Skier Fredrik Ericsson
I am grieved this morning to hear Swedish ski alpinist Fredrik Ericsson has fallen to his death on K2.
It appears from reports that Ericsson fell while doing a summit attempt with Austrian female alpinist Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner.Reports indicate an unexpected storm hit the pair and Ericsson fell while climbing, not while skiing. Ericsson was on K2 in an attempt to be the first person to completely ski the mountain.
Kaltenbrunner is unharmed.
Last year Ericsson’s climbing partner Michele Fait died while skiing on K2 with Ericsson, and the mountain is known for taking scores of lives. It may be the most dangerous mountain on earth for those seeking the summit. Thus, I was incredibly worried over past weeks about the outcome of Ericsson’s quest, so sad to have those worries realized…
Condolences from the WildSnow tribe to Ericsson’s family and friends, he always sounded like a wonderful man with a huge dose of alpine spirit.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
