Sports
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Tomaž Humar (Photo: BOBO)
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(Photo: Mediaspeed)
Tomaž Humar 1969-2009
Too Close to the Sun
11.12.2009
A world renowned Slovene climber Tomaž Humar was fatally injured last month while descending the south face of Langtang Lirung in the Nepalese Himalayas.The life of one of the world’s best mountaineers ended while attempting a new route in a solo ascent on the south face of Langtang Lirung (7,227 m), a notoriously dangerous mountain in northern Nepal. A single distress call was received by his support group, informing them he had been injured and was afraid he would not make it: “I have broken my back and leg. It would be difficult to locate me with a helicopter. My pulse is weak and I think I am going to die.” He added: “This is my last …” before phone connection was lost. Three Sherpas tried to find him at the alleged altitude of 6,300 m but their attempts were unsuccessful. Tomaž was later found dead by a Swiss helicopter at a much lower altitude, which suggested that he had tried to reach base camp on his own. It is still unclear what actually caused his death and we will probably never know the exact answer. His body was buried in the following days in the Himalayas upon the request of his family.
First encounter with (own) death
After seeing his friend and co-climber blown from the mountain in front of his eyes, Humar turned to making solo ascents. In 2005 he tried to become the first climber to conquer the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat (also known as the Killer Mountain), having been denied this privilege two years prior due to bad weather. The second expedition was accompanied by media frenzy that involved an internet broadcast and close scrutiny of Humar’s every step. While climbing Nanga Parbat’s Rupal Face (with 4,700 meters of precipice the highest and one of the deadliest in the world), the weather suddenly got a turn for the worse. For six days at the altitude of 6,300 m and temperatures hovering around -10 oC Humar was pinned down to a narrow ledge due to a continual onslaught of avalanches; his strength and faith were seriously tested and it was not known for a long time whether a rescue attempt was possible at all, which made many people in Slovenia fear for his life. He was eventually rescued by Pakistani helicopter pilots, who were later decorated with Slovenia’s highest award for bravery, causing his next attempts to be carried out under a cloak of secrecy in which not even his closest friends knew he had been contemplating another expedition to the Himalayas. In 2007 he made a solo ascent to Annapurna I (8,091 m) to mark the 20th anniversary of his mountaineering career, once again silencing his critics.
Climbing too close to the sun
Considered one of the best mountaineers in the world for his daredevil climbing style, Humar made over 1,500 ascents of which more than 70 had not been tried before. His 1999 ascent on the south face of Dhaulagiri opened a new chapter in mountaineering and via internet broadcast brought high-altitude mountaineering closer to the people. His numerous successes (like the 1996 Golden Ice-Ax for ascending Ama Dablam) won him international fame and established him as one of the world’s finest and bravest mountaineers.
Humar was at the forefront of the movement that revolutionised Himalayan high-altitude mountaineering by making fast alpine-style solo ascents with little safety equipment, earning the recognition of many as the best of his generation. His remarkable determination also made him overcome a potentially debilitating injury after falling to his back when building a new house; when doctors said he would never walk again he proved them wrong and within two years returned to mountaineering.
Tomaž Humar once stated: “Every mountain has a soul. If the mountain doesn’t accept you and you don’t submit to her will, she will destroy you.” It so occurred that the majestic Himalayan mountains, the place he loved so much and which were his haven from the world, had called him on his last journey and accepted him as one of their own.