Mountaineer Leifur Örn Svavarsson became the first Icelander to reach the peak of Everest, the world’s highest mountain, by the North Face from Tibet just before sunrise yesterday morning.
Everest. Photo: Wikipedia.
In the past days, many climbers have had to return before reaching the summit because of the weather, which has even claimed the lives of some.
Leifur and his team found the body of a mountaineer who died last week in the co-called death belt, above 8,000 meters, ruv.is reports.
Leifur had planned to call his friends at the Icelandic Mountain Guides from the summit at 8,848 meters but couldn’t because of the weather.
“He called … at 8,300 meters on the way down. He was just going to pack his bags, have something to eat and carry on. The goal was to get below 7,000 meters today, preferably further,” Arinbjörn Hauksson at the Icelandic Mountain Guides told Fréttablaðið.
Leifur is planning to return to Iceland on June 7.
Ingólfur G. Gissurarson, the other Icelander who climbed Everest this week, has reached base camp safe and sound.
Related:
21.05.2013 | Oldest Icelander to Conquer Everest
16.05.2013 | First Icelander to Climb Everest’s North Face
ESA
