Everest Skier Tomas Olsson missing after fall
Photo:Erik Leonsson
MountEverest.net reports that the Swedish skier Tomas Olsson has fallen, and is missing, during a descent of the North Face of Everest.
Olsson and his Norwegian partner Tormod Granheim has successfully ascended from Tibet and made the summit after an arduous 14 hour ascent on May 16th. One hour later they began to descend via the Norton Couloir.
Pia Rosin, the team’s press manager told ExplorersWeb in a phone call that the climbers encountered a 50 ft rock section a few hours below the summit and began rappelling down. The anchor broke and Tomas fell, continuing to slide down the wall. Tormod immediately climbed down after Tomas but found only his ice axe.
Other members of the party, who had descended by a different route, are preparing to climb back up and search for Tomas.
Olsson and Granheim spent the winter training in Chamonix, France, where they live.
