Gottlieb Braun-Elwert

August 15, 2008

I just received word from New Zealand that renowned mountain guide Gottlieb Braun-Elwert has passed away from a heart attack. He was on a ski trip with the New Zealand prime minister, Helen Clark, who along with several others attempted to revive him, but to no avail.

I met Gottlieb on his trips to the Alaska Range in 2002 and 2006, and continued to correspond with him through the years. I feel privileged to have known him, he was a kind and true gentleman, one of the finest men I've met, and he carried an attitude that for me defined the true spirit of mountaineering. His 2002 climb of Denali's Muldrow Glacier with Colin Montieth and 2 others concluded with these 4 fifty-something climbers helping the NPS with a SAR at 14 camp, before casually completing their traverse of the mountain and descending to basecamp. 2 years ago he returned to Alaska; finding his objective in poor shape, he and his partner moved their basecamp over to a beautiful location on the Kahiltna, just southeast of Mt. Foraker, and spent about 10 days ski mountaineering on nearby small ridges and peaks, and taking photos. When he flew out, we met at the West Rib Pub for beers; the joy of his adventure was evident in his face, it didn't matter that they went nowhere near their intended line; as always, he looked like he'd found exactly what he was looking for. We talked of meeting sometime in New Zealand and he would show me his favorite spots in the NZ alps. I regret that this meeting will now never be realized.

"Climbing a mountain is like life in general. When you make a decision, you must put up with the outcome - good or bad. I would say that, if you are able to pull off a climb on a mountain, you will see personal difficulties from a distant perspective. Fewer and fewer pursuits in life are as creative, as personally challenging, and as satisfying as being in the mountains."

For more about this amazing person read on:

Article 1

Article 2

So long, old friend. Respect and admiration for a life well lived!