Jc Lafaille Missing on Makalu

[Dru]

http://news.tf1.fr/news/monde/0

 

No contact for 48 hours

 

fixed link

Edited January 30, 2006 by snoboy

[jstone]

Im not getting the link.

Sure hope he's ok.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

cut and paste the whole line. It is in french, so you need to translate probably. Sounds like it may be a battery issue. Hopefully it is nothing tragic. His story in Alpinist is amazing.

[Dru]

hey now, any canadian should be able to read that themselves

[Ducknut]

here is a babel fish translation:

 

 

The French mountaineer Jean-Christophe Lafaille, launched as a recluse with the attack of Makalu (8.463 meters), to Nepal, has not given a his news for 48 hours. Party Tuesday of its base camp, with 5.300 meters, it bivouacked the evening even with 6.000 meters, Wednesday with 6.900 meters and Thursday with 7.600 meters, according to his wife and sporting manager, Katia Lafaille, which had a last contact with him Thursday, by satellite telephone. It was to leave Thursday in the night and to gain the top Friday. The contact envisaged Friday, at the end of this attempt, did not take place, indicated Mrs. Lafaille. Jean-Christophe Lafaille, 39 years, which launched out only in the normal way, until there ever climbed as a recluse winter, without oxygen and in alpine technique (i.e. without preliminary equipment of the way out of fixed cords and ladders and without heavy camps intermediate), did not give his new Saturday either. "It felt in form and justified" Its silence could be explained by a technical breakdown, because the batteries of its apparatuses were very low at the time of the last contact, one explained in his entourage. It was to join Saturday the base camp, with which its close relations are not in connection. The weather conditions were difficult. At the time of his conversation with his wife, Jean-Christophe Lafaille specified that it made less thirty degrees under his small tent of bivouac and that it had the frosted face. "It did not sleep all these nights, because of altitude and of the cold", still explained Mrs. Lafaille. "But it felt in form and justified", she added. Jean-Christophe Lafaille already climbed eleven tops of more than 8.000 meters, the majority as a recluse or by new ways. He already succeeded in December 2004 winter as a recluse and alpine style in Sishapangma (8.064 meters), until there considered to be impossible on the most 8.000 meters. Makalu was climbed for the first time in 1955 by a French cord.

[griz]

my babel fish tells me "recluse" is probably "soloist"? you need to feed your babel fish better and then it will translate better.

[ivan]

as you may recall, the babel fish feeds off mental energy - so stupid people will likely always suffer anemic interpretations

 

at least they killed god...

[olyclimber]

english, but not much more info:

 

http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=1471

[Chad_A]

1-30-06 from mounteverest.net:

 

02:42 am EST Jan 30, 2006

(MountEverest.net) There's been no further word from Jean Christophe Lafaille since Thursday. A small plane is currently on its way to the mountain for a reconnaissance flight. The plane will try to spot Lafaille’s tent.

 

Home team fearing crevasse fall

 

“If the tent is still there, that would mean Jean Christophe may have fallen in a crevasse somewhere between his latest bivouac place and the summit,” his home team reported on Jean Christophe’s website.

 

“Although hopes are scarce, we can’t give up yet,” said Serge Koening, mountain advisor with the French Ministry of Youth and Sports and climbing instructor at ENSA School, Chamonix.

 

Possible communication problems

 

Lafaille last called home to his wife Katia on Thursday 26th, from 7600m. He hoped to leave his bivouac place by 5:00 am local time the following morning (Friday), in order to reach the summit by midday. He also mentioned he was running low on batteries.

 

The French climber is soloing the mountain in winter. A cook and a kitchen helper are waiting for him in BC. However, apparently his BC staff has no means of communication – only Lafaille had a sat-phone with him, and he would always report straight to Katia.

 

Out of sight from BC

 

A helicopter has been requested to reach BC (5300m) as soon as possible - the pilots could then ask for details to Lafaille’s staff. However, the route on Makalu can’t be spotted from BC, according to Kairn.com. In addition, from Makalu La (at 7400m) the route follows a summit ridge located on the Tibetan side of the mountain, and thus out of sight from lower camps.

[cj001f]

His website (en francais) has information:

http://www.jclafaille.com/

[Dru]

http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=1480

 

Now presumed dead

[Off_White]

Bummer. As noted before, his interview in the last issue of Alpinist was pretty interesting.

[JayB]

Sad News.

 

Isn't he the guy who survived a horrible incident elsewhere in the Himlayas where his partner fell to his death while rapelling off of a pounded-in tent pole, taking the ropes with him?

 

If I remember correctly, the survivor (J.C. LaFaille, I think) was hit by a falling rock or piece of ice which broke his arm while he was making the horrendously difficult descent, and when it was all said and done he promised himself that he'd never return to the mountains? After surviving something like that I'm not sure if I'd feel invincible or swear-off anything dangerous for the rest of my life.

 

Anyway - sorry to learn about the demise of a gifted climber.

[Dru]

A couple years ago Ian Parnell, British alpinist, made up a scoresheet for climbers in a humorous attempt to figure out who the best climber in the world was - the climber who was the most accomplished at every facet of the sport from bouldering to 8000m peaks.

 

Lafaille ranked #1.

[Winter]

Yeah, JB, he was profiled in the current Alpinist and they recount this story at the beginning of the article.

[griz]

he promised himself that he'd never return to the mountains?

 

 

I don't now if that was him or not but I think most alpine climbers have very short term memories of suffering/loss to the point of a flaw. No matter how bad it was, it always seems that in a year or so the mountains pull you back.

[Dru]

Especially if you are a sponsored media climber whose income depends on keeping your name in the news (cf. Tomaz Humar)