Carl Skoog dies on the South Face of Mercedario

[hop]

Carl was one of my best friends, and I feel lucky to have hadd the pleasure of sharing many adventures (not just skiing) over the past few years. Skiing for me will surely not be the same without him around.

 

See you later man.

 

-Adam

[sk]

condolences and peace to all...

[Lowell_Skoog]

The following notice will appear in the Seattle and Eastside newspapers tomorrow. Details of Carl’s memorial gathering are at the end of the notice.

 

 

 

Carl Warren Skoog

 

Carl Skoog, 46, died October 17, 2005 in a ski mountaineering accident on Cerro Mercedario (6770 m) in the high Andes of Argentina. Carl was accompanied by his steadfast friend Rene Crawshaw of Chilliwack, B.C., who fortunately was not injured.

 

Born February 10, 1959, Carl grew up in Medina with four older brothers and a sister, all introduced to the outdoors by their ski jumping father, Dick Skoog and skiing mother, Ingrid Skoog. A lifetime Eastside resident (the family moved to Bellevue in 1953), Carl was an avid recreational skier and ski instructor during high school. He graduated from Bellevue High in 1977 and earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington in 1981. After college, Carl developed products for Seattle-area outdoor equipment manufacturers such as SMC, SunDog and Outdoor Research, combining his love of the outdoors and his talent for design.

 

While still in college, Carl began climbing mountains with his older brothers Gordy and Lowell. He worked part-time during college summers as a mountain guide, introducing beginners to mountaineering on Mt. Baker and leading clients up peaks ranging from the Cascades to South America. Over a period of twenty-five years, Carl climbed and skied hundreds of peaks throughout North America and pioneered dozens of new climbing and ski mountaineering routes in his beloved Cascades. Carl's desire to share his mountain adventures led to a growing interest in photography. In the mid-1990s, he quit equipment design to pursue outdoor photography as a career. Carl excelled in the demanding niche of adventure photography, his photos gracing dozens of ski magazine covers, advertisements, catalogs, and feature articles.

 

Carl was preceded in death by his father Richard B. Skoog and is survived by his mother Ingrid W. Skoog of Bellevue; brother Lawrence Skoog of Seattle; brother R. (Randall) Philip Skoog (wife, Janice) of Washington, D.C.; sister Anita Skoog Neil (husband, Bill Neil) of Bellevue; brother Gordon Skoog of Redmond; and brother Lowell Skoog (wife, Stephanie Subak) of Seattle. Carl was a loving uncle to Courtney Skoog (Philip), Wendy Gerber, Julie Iriondo, Dana and Erik Skoog (Gordy), and Thomas Skoog (Lowell). He is also survived by his aunt, Elsie Skoog, and cousins James, Jon, and Leonard Skoog, all originally of Mercer Island.

 

A gathering to celebrate Carl's life is planned for Saturday, November 12, 2005 at 4:00 p.m at The Mountaineers clubhouse, 300 Third Ave. W, Seattle, WA. Friends and family are encouraged to bring photos and mementos to share about Carl's life.

[mattp]

Lowell,

 

Thank you for posting here. I have studiously avoided these "memoriam" threads where I don't actually know the individuals involved, but here I find a tribute to someone I knew.

 

Carl rocked! He held an enthusiasm for climbing and skiing that most of us can only imagine -- and he shared it willingly. I can honestly say: he will be missed.

[Gary_Yngve]

This evening I saw a news clip on King5 honoring Carl's life.

It featured his photos and an interview with Lowell.

I thought the piece was well-done.

[estivate]

a quickie translation follows. Looks like South American journalists are no better than their N American counterparts at getting all the details right. Plus this was as told by Skoog's Canadian companion to the police, who in turn told the reporter, so garbling is quite possible.

 

===========================================

A NORTH AMERICAN DIES SKIING ON EL MERCEDARIO

 

In the 26th squadron of the Gendarmerie, there is no record of any similar action on El Mercedario, the fourth-highest peak in America. Therefore, the version of a fatal accident to a north american alpinist while skiing in the most dangerous sector of that mountain, the south face with very vertical stretches, is limited to this: one account, of the surviving canadian, which ought to be recorded with other evidence.

 

This Canadian, identified as Allxn René Crawshaw, 33 years old, said that after two successful descents, of this risky slope, they tried a third ski descent, and it was then that his companion suffered an accident, and crashed with his head against a rock formation, said sources close to the investigation. The victim was identified as Carl Warren Skoog, 46 years of age. The mishap occurred last monday around midday, but the news arrived tuesday afternoon to the 26th police detachment, via the Canadian. Yesterday, very early, a group of seven experts from the detachment left in vehicles toward the patrol base Santana which is about 70 kilometers south of the headquarters, explained the chief of the detachment yesterday, commander Eduardo Miguel Paludi.

 

According to Paludi, once his men get to their base, they will continue some 3,400 meters on muleback to the cerro Mercedario base. From there, they will continue on foot to the place where the body is supposed to be, an area of the south face near the encampment at around 4,000 meters of elevation, said the commandant.

 

Sources said that Crawshaw and Skoog arrived at Barreal on october 2nd, and left for the mountain the other day. Their stated objective--for many, madness--was to descend that dangerous slope on skis, which during the winter, and until the date, is covered in ice because it receives no sunlight, explained local alpinists. The Canadian apparently told the investigators that they had intended to finish the expedition today.

 

Those who are following the case closely are sure that the foreigners were experienced. But in the Gendarmerie they also believe that the tourists lacked a good assessment of the real conditions on the south face. "It seems that they evaluated the mountain through internet pages, but that information must be complemented, or confirmed with other information. It is advisable to arive at the headquarters of the 26th squadron of Gendarmerie and consult. The season for alpinism generally extends from the second half of november to the end of february", explained Paludi yesterday. The commandant assured that the rescue experts expect to spend two days arrving at the accident site, and another two in returning. When they ascend, they will collect the body as soon as they gather all the evidence, so that a forensic doctor can confirm the cause of death. With all this evidence, the third [some official title or other] will decide if it was an accidental death or a criminal act.

[Lowell_Skoog]

This evening I saw a news clip on King5 honoring Carl's life.

It featured his photos and an interview with Lowell.

I thought the piece was well-done.

 

Thanks Gary. I agree.

 

I returned a call from a KING-TV reporter after getting home from work last Thursday and he asked to come over in 1/2 hour. I was pretty stressed pulling together pictures for them and trying not to say something I would later regret. On viewing the segment this evening, I was happy with the way they handled it.

 

Thanks, KING-TV.

[EWolfe]

Lowell:

 

It was nice to see such a well-celebrated column in Climbing this issue, even though it was an obit.

 

RIP.

[archenemy]

Lowell:

 

It was nice to see such a well-celebrated column in Climbing this issue, even though it was an obit.

 

RIP.

Agreed; it was well written and the photo was wonderful.

Regards.

[scrambled_legs]

Off-Piste had a nice article in his memory as well. Is it still possible to purchase his photography? It would be nice to see his memory live on through his photography.

[Lowell_Skoog]

Is it still possible to purchase his photography? It would be nice to see his memory live on through his photography.

 

Thanks for your kind words.

 

Our family has talked about setting up a non-profit organization that would continue to sell Carl's pictures. We haven't figured out where the money would go, and there's a bunch of work to do before his pictures are organized, the estate settled, and so on.

 

What's more, my mother died last month at age 85. My father-in-law died in December. We're pretty maxed-out just dealing with all of this. It's going to be a while before we're prepared to respond to queries about Carl's pictures.

 

As an aside, I understand that Mike Hattrup of K2 and Adam Howard of Backcountry magazine put together a nice memorial buffet (classic Carl) at the OR show in Salt Lake City last week...