1. Ueli Steck was the first to climb Annapurna solo via its South Face, and set speed records on the North Face trilogy in the Alps.
17 Facts About Ueli Steck
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Ueli Steck won two Piolet d'Or awards, in 2009 and 2014.
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At the age of 17, Ueli Steck achieved the 9th difficulty rating in climbing.
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Ueli Steck set his first speed record on the North Face of the Eiger in 2007, climbing it in 3 hours and 54 minutes.
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In 2008, Ueli Steck was the first recipient of the Eiger Award for his mountaineering achievements.
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On 8 and 9 October 2013 Ueli Steck soloed the Lafaille route on the South Face of Annapurna, on the main and highest part of the face; this was his third attempt on the route and has been called "one of the most impressive Himalayan climbs in history", with Ueli Steck taking 28 hours to make the trip from Base Camp to summit and back again.
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Ueli Steck's claim was supported by two sherpas from his team.
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Ueli Steck's feat was the first solo ascent of Annapurna, which won him his second Piolet d'Or.
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Later that year Ueli Steck set a new record for the North Face of the Eiger, soloing it in 2 hours 22 minutes and 50 seconds.
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Ueli Steck was born as the third son to a copper smith in the town of Langnau in the Emmental valley in Switzerland.
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Ueli Steck was a carpenter by training and in adulthood lived in Ringgenberg, near Interlaken, Switzerland.
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Ueli Steck died on 30 April 2017 while acclimatizing for an attempt of the Hornbein route on the West Ridge of Everest without supplemental oxygen.
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Ueli Steck's plan was to climb the Hornbein Couloir to the summit, then proceed with a traverse to the peak of Lhotse, the world's 4th highest mountain.
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Ueli Steck carried on with scouting and acclimatisation, climbing up to Everest's Camp 2, en route to the South Col.
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When Graziani headed towards Camp 3, Ueli Steck broke off to the right to climb Nuptse.
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Ueli Steck was last seen partway up the face around dawn by several Sherpas and expedition members around the valley.
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Ueli Steck's body was found in the Western Cwm, between camps 1 and 2, and transported back to Kathmandu, where memorial services were held.