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Swedish climber dies in Himalaya expedition

A Swedish climber died in an accident on the mountain K2 in the Karakoram Himalayas early on Friday morning while taking part in an Austrian-led expedition.

Swedish climber dies in Himalaya expedition

Fredrik Ericsson fell 1,000 metres to his death as bad weather closed in on the mountain, according to the Austrian news agency APA. The Swedish foreign ministry has not been able to confirm the death.

Ericsson is a well known Swedish adventurer and was climbing K2, on the Pakistan-China border and at 8,611 metres the second highest mountain on Earth, in a bid to become the first person to ski from the summit down to base camp.

The expedition was led by the Austrian climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, who elected to halt an attempt on the peak on Friday after a fall, with a further two or three climbers returning to camp.

Kaltenbrunner’s husband Ralf Dujomovits gave up on the climb already on Thursday after a landslide.

One of the climbers, Christian Stangle, told the news agency that recent days have been characterised by snowfalls, avalanches and rockfalls.

“It’s snowing, the avalanches go off – and the relatively high temperatures loosen the stones from the slopes…I feel my health is more important than the summit,” he said on his homepage according to APA.

Stangle said that avalanches occurred both to the right and left of Ericsson as he fell almost all the way back to base camp III.

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CLIMBER

Spanish record climber tops Everest twice in a week

Spanish mountaineer Kilian Jornet has reached the summit of Mount Everest for the second time in a week, his team said Sunday.

Spanish record climber tops Everest twice in a week
Kilian Jornet at Everest base camp. Photo: @kilianj / Twitter

Jornet scaled Everest's north face, starting from a camp at 6,500 metres on the Tibet side of the mountain, in 17 hours late on Saturday, said a statement from the team.

“I'm so happy to have made the summit again! Today I felt good, although it was really windy so it was hard to move fast,” he said in the statement.   

“I think summiting Everest twice in one week without oxygen opens up a new realm of possibilities in alpinism and  I'm really happy to have done it.”   

On Monday last week Jornet claimed a new speed record for an ascent without fixed ropes or supplemental oxygen when he summited the north face of Everest in 26 hours from base camp.

The 29-year-old had hoped to set a record for the fastest round trip – from base camp to the summit and back again – but was hit by stomach problems on his descent and stopped at a higher camp to recover.

AFP could not independently verify his claim. Climbs are usually only confirmed by the authorities once the mountaineer returns with proof such as summit photos and GPS data.

The China Tibet Mountaineering Association, which validates all Everest summits on the north side of the mountain, said it has yet to confirm Jornet's feat.

Climbing without using fixed ropes or oxygen is known as alpine-style mountaineering and is seen as a faster and lighter form of the sport.    

Jornet has previously set speed records on Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Denali, Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro.   

The Guinness World Records holder for the fastest ascent of Everest's north face is Italian climber Hans Kammerlander, who reached the summit in just 16 hours and 45 minutes in 1996 from the advanced base camp.   

Hundreds of climbers have summited the 8,848-metre peak during the short spring climbing season which ends with the arrival of the monsoon in early June.

The first ascents of the season came unusually late in May — delayed by high winds, fresh snowfall and extreme low temperatures.   

Six climbers have perished on the mountain this year, including legendary Swiss climber Ueli Steck who fell from a ridge during an acclimatization climb in late April.

READ ALSO: Spanish climber sets new record for Everest climb