A prominent Slovak mountaineer tragically lost his life during the descent of Nepal's 7,234-metre Langtang Lirung peak, following a historic ascent up its east face, according to Slovakia's climbers association.
Ondrej Huserka, a member of the Slovak national mountaineering team with extensive experience in the Alps, Patagonia, Pamir Mountains, and Himalayas, fell into a crevasse on Thursday. His Czech climbing partner, Marek Holecek, confirmed that they had just achieved the first-ever ascent of Langtang Lirung via the east face.
The Slovak climbers association, SHS James, initially called for rescue action on Facebook but later reported that a helicopter could not take off due to adverse weather conditions. Holecek confirmed Huserka's death in a heartfelt Facebook post, detailing how Huserka had fallen eight metres onto an angled surface, continuing into a glacier labyrinth where he became trapped head down and apparently paralyzed.
Holecek recounted his unsuccessful efforts to rescue Huserka, stating, 'I rappelled down to him and stayed with him for four hours until his light faded. There's nothing more to add.' SHS James announced that the weather in Nepal would prevent any rescue attempts in the coming days, leaving Huserka's family and friends to accept his tragic loss.
The Slovak daily SME described the 34-year-old Huserka as 'one of the best Slovak mountaineers,' known for his expertise in rock and ice climbing.
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