David Lama (; 4 August 1990 – 16 April 2019) was an Austrian
rock climber
Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in guidebooks, and ...
and
alpinist
Alpine climbing () is a type of mountaineering that uses any of a broad range of advanced climbing skills, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large routes (e.g. multi-pitch or big wall) in an alpi ...
. He won the European Championship in
competition bouldering
Competition climbing is a form of regulated rock-climbing competition held indoors on purpose-built artificial climbing walls (earlier versions were held on external natural rock surfaces). The three competition climbing disciplines are lead ...
in 2007 and the European Championship in
competition lead climbing
Competition climbing is a form of regulated rock-climbing competition held indoors on purpose-built artificial climbing walls (earlier versions were held on external natural rock surfaces). The three competition climbing disciplines are lead ...
in 2006. He is known for his
first free ascent
In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers and climbers focused ...
of the ''
Compressor Route
Cesare Maestri (2 October 1929 – 19 January 2021) was an Italian mountaineer and writer.
He was born in Trento in the Italian province of Trentino. He began climbing in the Dolomites, where he repeated many famous routes, often climbing them ...
'' (South-East Ridge) on
Cerro Torre
Cerro Torre is one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. It is located on the border dividing Argentina and Chile, west of Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén). At , the peak is the highest of a four mountai ...
.
[
*
*] In 2018, in a solo expedition, he was the first to reach the summit of
Lunag Ri
Lunag Ri is a mountain in the Rolwaling Himal mountain range of the Himalayas.
The high Lunag Ri is located on the Himalayan main ridge on the border between Nepal and Tibet. Lunag Ri is west of Cho Oyu (). The Jobo Rinjang () forms a southeas ...
in the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...
.
In 2019, he was posthumously honoured with a
Piolet d'Or
An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow or ice covered (e.g. ice climbing or mixed climbing) conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its sim ...
for this first ascent.
Biography
David Lama was born in 1990. His father is a mountain guide from
Nepal
Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
and his mother is an
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
n from
Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
. He was five years old when
Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...
veteran
Peter Habeler
Peter Habeler (born 22 July 1942) is an Austrian mountaineer. He was born in Mayrhofen, Austria. He developed an interest in mountain climbing at age six.http://www.everesthistory.com/climbers/habeler
Among his accomplishments as a mountaineer a ...
first watched Lama climb in a climbing camp organized by Habeler. Afterward, Habeler immediately called Lama's parents to tell them that their boy had an unusual talent. Lama then became part of the competition climbing team coached by Reinhold Scherer.
Competition climbing
In 2004, 14 years old, Lama won the European Youth Cup. In the same year, he climbed his first route.
He repeated his win at the European Youth Cup in 2005 and moved on to Senior competitions in 2006. The
International Federation for Sport Climbing (IFSC) changed their rules so that Lama, only 15 years old at the time, could compete in the Senior
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
.
Lama became the youngest person to compete at the World Cup and the first to win both a
lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
and a
bouldering
Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that is performed on small rock formations or Climbing wall, artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or Climbing harness, harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers ...
World Cup final in his first season.
Lama became
European Champion
A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs.
In the plural, the European Championships also refers to a ...
both in competition lead climbing (2006) and in competition bouldering (2007). In 2008 he won the overall ranking in the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
. In 2009, he placed 3rd at the
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...
in the lead discipline.
In 2011, he retired from competition climbing so he could focus solely on
mountaineering
Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...
.
Mountaineering
Cerro Torre

In 2009, Lama announced his intention to
free climb Cerro Torre
Cerro Torre is one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. It is located on the border dividing Argentina and Chile, west of Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén). At , the peak is the highest of a four mountai ...
via the ''
Compressor Route
Cesare Maestri (2 October 1929 – 19 January 2021) was an Italian mountaineer and writer.
He was born in Trento in the Italian province of Trentino. He began climbing in the Dolomites, where he repeated many famous routes, often climbing them ...
'', which means only natural rock and ice formations are used for the ascent of the mountain. Bolts and rope only serve as
protection
Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...
in case of a fall. Nobody had done this before, all previous ascents had used
climbing aids of one kind or another. Alpinist legend
Reinhold Messner
Reinhold Andreas Messner (; born 17 September 1944) is an Italian climber, explorer, and author from the German-speaking province of South Tyrol. He made the first solo ascent of Mount Everest and, along with Peter Habeler, the first ascent o ...
even called the undertaking "crazy and impossible".
For his first attempt in 2009, Lama brought along a film crew provided by his sponsor
Red Bull
Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...
.
This first attempt ended in failure. Lama and his climbing partner Daniel Steuerer had to turn around due to bad weather.
Back at base camp the conditions stayed bad and the team had to abandon the endeavor for the 2009/2010 season.
The aftermath of this first attempt started a scandal in the mountaineering scene. Both Lama and the Red Bull film crew were heavily criticized. The film crew had left behind at least 30 drilled
bolts next to a route already laden with bolts. 700 metres of fixed rope and five haul bags were also left behind along the route.
Argentinian guides were hired to remove the equipment, but they did not manage to remove all of it and none of the bolts were removed.
Lama stated that he was not aware of the large number of bolts that were drilled by the film team, but he took full responsibility for the actions and promised not to repeat the mistake.
He promised to remove the remaining equipment in the following year.
They returned for a second attempt in January 2011. , a more experienced climber, replaced Steuerer as Lama's climbing partner from this point onward. This initial ascent had to be aborted as well because the headwall was full of ice. On February 12, during a small good weather window, the two climbers managed to reach the summit using some aid techniques. This ascent raised the morale of the team after the long series of failures and was used for scouting out the free route.
In January 2012, Lama and his team returned for a third expedition. A few days before the planned ascent they got the news that the climbers Jason Kruk and
Hayden Kennedy
Hayden Kennedy (born 16 October 1965) is a former Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League (AFL) and is also a teacher at St. Bernard's College, Melbourne.
After five AFL Grand Finals and a then-record 495 game ...
had completed the compressor route, using as few bolts as they could manage. On their way back down they removed all the bolts they deemed unnecessary in order to restore the challenge of the mountain. They removed more than 120 bolts in total, most of them from the historical 1970
Cesare Maestri gas-powered compressor ascent. The headwall of the compressor route and one pitch below were completely freed of bolts.
This move caused a heated debate in the mountaineering community. Both climbers were briefly detained by Argentinian police and the removed bolts were confiscated.
Lama's first reaction was that he did not need the bolts for his climb anyway and he moved ahead with his free climbing attempt.
Since the old bolted route was not climbable anymore by regular means, the film crew had to ascend the summit via the west side of the mountain and rappel down with ropes in order to document the next attempt.
On January 19, 2012, Lama and Ortner finished the first free ascent of Cerro Torre via the south-east ridge compressor route in 24 hours in total.
According to Lama, they brought five bolts along, but they did not have to place any of them.
They ascended to the left of the crack climbed by Salvaterra and Mabboni, here Lama took one fall, but he managed to climb it on the second attempt. He later rated this crux in terms of difficulty. The two climbers slept for the night in
bivouac sacks below the Ice Towers.
On the next day, after ascending most of the headwall, they went right of the compressor, following cracks and flakes in the rock, all the way to the summit. All previous routes went left of the compressor.
In 2013,
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...
made David Lama "Adventurer of the Year" for his free ascent of Cerro Torre.
The documentary ''Cerro Torre: A Snowball's Chance in Hell'' documents the ascent.
Lunag Ri

In 2015, Lama teamed up with American climber
Conrad Anker
Conrad Anker (born November 27, 1962) is an American rock climber, mountaineer, and author. He was the team leader of The North Face climbing team for 26 years until 2018. In 1999, he located George Mallory's body on Everest as a member of a sea ...
in order to climb the
Lunag Ri
Lunag Ri is a mountain in the Rolwaling Himal mountain range of the Himalayas.
The high Lunag Ri is located on the Himalayan main ridge on the border between Nepal and Tibet. Lunag Ri is west of Cho Oyu (). The Jobo Rinjang () forms a southeas ...
, one of the highest unclimbed peaks in the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...
.
Their first attempt was on November 12, 2015. They picked a rock crevice that would allow them to climb up to the northwest pillar of the mountain. Up on the ridge they planned to follow it up to the peak using
mixed climbing
Mixed climbing is an ice climbing discipline used on climbing routes that do not have enough ice to be regular ice climbs, but are also not dry enough to be regular rock climbing, rock climbs. To ascend the route, the mixed-climber uses ice-cli ...
techniques.
It was already late when they reached the top of the ridge, so for the night they set up a
bivouac underneath a boulder. They continued in the early morning of the next day. Lack of ice and bad snow conditions complicated protection.
They did not manage to reach the summit during the next day. They had to make the decision whether to dig in and wait out another night, at potential temperatures of -40 °C and strong wind, or turn around and descend the mountain.
They decided for the latter and aborted the attempt around 300 metres below the summit.
They had to abandon the endeavor for that year, but returned for a second attempt in 2016.
On November 6, 2016, during the second attempt, Anker had a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
at a height of while climbing up the rock crevice. The two climbers quickly decided to
rappel
Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling, the person descending controls their own movement down a static or fixed rope, in cont ...
down the mountain. Lama called for an emergency helicopter rescue at base camp. Twelve hours after the heart attack, Anker underwent surgery in
Kathmandu
Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...
.
A thrombotic occlusion was removed from his proximal left anterior descending artery.
As a result of this injury Anker quit high-altitude climbing.
Lama was left behind without a climbing partner at the base camp. Since Anker had declared that he would not return, Lama decided to start another attempt alone.
This third attempt was started on November 8, 2016. Lama ascended the north-west ridge via a longer, but easier rock crevice and set up camp. Since he had no climbing partner he had to use
roped solo techniques in order to ascend the ridge, climbing one pitch as
lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
, setting up an
anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek ().
Anch ...
and then rappeling back down to remove protections.
Ascending the mountain this way together with a heavy backpack turned out to be too much of a challenge. Lama aborted this third attempt as well, not far from the location of the high point of the first expedition with Conrad Anker.
On October 23, 2018, Lama returned for a fourth and final attempt. Again solo, he ascended the mountain in three days over the north-west ridge. He followed the same line he had taken on his first solo attempt.
He had to set up a bivouac two times for the nights at temperatures of -30°C with 80km/h storm gusts.
During the entire third day he was unable to feel his toes. He decided to push on despite this and reached the summit at 10:00 a.m. After a few minutes on the summit, he immediately rappeled back down. At midnight he was back at base camp. He did not lose any of his toes.
Death
On 16 April 2019, Lama, along with climbers
Jess Roskelley and
Hansjörg Auer
Hansjörg Auer (; 18 February 1984 – 16 April 2019) was an Austrian mountaineer, noted for his free solo climbs, and particularly of ''Fish Route'' in the Italian Dolomites, the first-ever big wall solo at . ''National Geographic'' descr ...
, was caught in an
avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...
on
Howse Peak
Howse Peak is the highest mountain in the Waputik Mountains, a subrange of the Canadian Rockies. It is located west of the Icefields Parkway, above Chephren Lake, on the continental divide between Alberta and British Columbia. At , it is the 4 ...
in the Waputik Range of the
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies () or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part of the Canadian Cordillera, w ...
.
The group had climbed a new route on the east face of
Howse Peak
Howse Peak is the highest mountain in the Waputik Mountains, a subrange of the Canadian Rockies. It is located west of the Icefields Parkway, above Chephren Lake, on the continental divide between Alberta and British Columbia. At , it is the 4 ...
, one of the most challenging Canadian rock-and-ice faces.
Photographs from Roskelley's phone indicate that the three climbers had reached the summit on Tuesday, 16 April at 12:44 PM. Their bodies were found on 21 April 2019.
It can be deduced from a photograph taken from Icefields Parkway by a climber from Canmore that a large cornice broke off above their route in the large snow basin that is drained by the icefall route, "Life by the Drop". He reported that the resulting avalanche swept the southeast face at 1:58, 31 minutes after the three climbers had reached a steep couloir above the snow basin to descend their route. Their bodies were recovered from an avalanche cone below the icefall route "Life by the Drop". The shallow layer of snow covering the climbers was a further indicator of a cornice break as the cause of the accident.
Competition climbing results
IFSC World Championships
UIAA and
IFSC European Championships
The IFSC Climbing European Championships are the biennial European championship for competition climbing organized by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). The first competition was held in Frankfurt in 1992.
Championships
1 ...
Number of medals in the UIAA and
IFSC Climbing World Cup
The IFSC Climbing World Cup is a series of competition climbing events held during the year at various locations around the world, organized by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). At each event, the athletes compete in three d ...
s
Overall winner in
IFSC World Cup 2008.
Lead / Combined
Bouldering
IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships
The IFSC Youth World Championships are the annual World Youth Championships for competition climbing organized by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC). The first competition was held in Basel
Basel ( ; ), also known as Bas ...
European Youth Cups
* European Youth Cup Winner 2004 and 2005 (youth B, lead).
Notable ascents
Sport climbing
*2000 Route ''Kindergarten'' at
Osp (
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
). Difficulty . Being only 10 years old, Lama was the youngest person to climb a route of that grade at the time.
* 2004 Route ''Devers Satanique'' at the
Gorges du Loup (
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
).
On-Sight
Glossary of climbing terms relates to rock climbing (including aid climbing, lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing), mountaineering, and to ice climbing. ebook:
The terms used can vary between different English-speaking countries; ...
with difficulty (10-).
* 2004 Route ''7pm JP Chaud'' at the Gorges du Loup (France). (10+/11-). His first ascend of that grade.
* 2006 Spain: On-Sight of several routes up to (10+).
* 2007 Niederthai in the
Ötztal
The Ötztal () is an alpine valley located in Tyrol, Austria. The Ötztaler Ache river flows through the valley in a northern direction. The Ötztal separates the Stubai Alps in the east from the Ötztal Alps in the west. The valley is long. The ...
(
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
): In a single day, he climbed the routes ''Gondor'' (8c), ''Mordor'' (8c+/9a) and ''In Memo Reini'' (8c).
*2014 Route ''Atalho do Diabo'' (5.13) on
Corcovado
Corcovado () which means " hunchback" in Portuguese, is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a granite peak located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park.
Corcovado hill lies just west of the city center but is wholly within t ...
, Rio de Janeiro (
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
), together with Felipe Camargo.
*2015 Route ''Latent Core'' (5.11 A1) in
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is a national park of the United States located in southwestern Utah near the town of Springdale. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert regions, the park has a unique geography and a ...
(
USA
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
), together with
Conrad Anker
Conrad Anker (born November 27, 1962) is an American rock climber, mountaineer, and author. He was the team leader of The North Face climbing team for 26 years until 2018. In 1999, he located George Mallory's body on Everest as a member of a sea ...
, who had attempted the route 25 years before.
*2015 Route ''Avaatara'' in the
Baatara Gorge (
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
). .
Alpine climbing
* 2009
Pamir Altai (Kyrgyzstan): First free ascent of Asan (4230m), Northwest Face, together with , Giovanni Quirici and , and with photographer Rainer Eder.
*2010 Sarche (Italy): Lama and climbed the
first free ascent
In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers and climbers focused ...
of ''Brento Centro'', which they then freed within a day.
* 2010
Dolomites
The Dolomites ( ), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. They form part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Va ...
(Italy): Lama repeated ' (XI-) on
Tre Cime di Lavaredo
The ; ), also called the ; ), are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. They are one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The three peaks, from east to west, are:
*Cima Piccola / Klein ...
, Cima Ovest, after one day of trying.
* 2011
Cerro Torre
Cerro Torre is one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. It is located on the border dividing Argentina and Chile, west of Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén). At , the peak is the highest of a four mountai ...
(
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
): Lama and climbed
Cerro Torre
Cerro Torre is one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. It is located on the border dividing Argentina and Chile, west of Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén). At , the peak is the highest of a four mountai ...
via the ''
Compressor Route
Cesare Maestri (2 October 1929 – 19 January 2021) was an Italian mountaineer and writer.
He was born in Trento in the Italian province of Trentino. He began climbing in the Dolomites, where he repeated many famous routes, often climbing them ...
''.
* 2011 Grindelwald (Switzerland): Lama climbed ''Paciencia'' (8a) in the North Face of the
Eiger
The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends ...
with .
* 2011 Kashmir: Lama, and Denis Burdet climbed a first ascent ''Yoniverse'', on Cerro Kishtwar.
* 2011
Lofer
Lofer is a market town in the district of Zell am See in the Austrian state of Salzburg.
Geography
Lofer is located in the historic Pinzgau region, in the valley of the Saalach river between the Chiemgau Alps and Reiter Alpe in the north and eas ...
(Austria): Lama repeated ''Feuertaufe'' (8b) by
Alexander Huber
Alexander Huber (born 30 December 1968) is a German rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of rock climbing. Huber came to prominence in the early 1990s as the world's strongest sport c ...
, as well as ''Stoamandl'' (8b), ''Donnervogel'' (8b) and ''Woher Kompass'' (8a+).
* 2012 Patagonia (
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
): In 24 hours, David Lama did the first free ascent of the ''
Compressor Route
Cesare Maestri (2 October 1929 – 19 January 2021) was an Italian mountaineer and writer.
He was born in Trento in the Italian province of Trentino. He began climbing in the Dolomites, where he repeated many famous routes, often climbing them ...
'' (South-East Ridge) of
Cerro Torre
Cerro Torre is one of the mountains of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in South America. It is located on the border dividing Argentina and Chile, west of Fitz Roy (also known as Cerro Chaltén). At , the peak is the highest of a four mountai ...
with Peter Ortner. The route was the subject of controversy after two other climbers, American
Hayden Kennedy
Hayden Kennedy (born 16 October 1965) is a former Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League (AFL) and is also a teacher at St. Bernard's College, Melbourne.
After five AFL Grand Finals and a then-record 495 game ...
and Canadian Jason Kruk, removed many of
Cesare Maestri's
bolts some days before Lama's ascent.
Honoured with a special mention at the Piolets d'Or 2013.
* 2012 Karakoram (Pakistan): Lama and Ortner repeated the route ''Eternal Flame'' on
Trango Tower
__NOTOC__
The Trango Towers () are a family of rock towers situated in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, in the northern part of Pakistan. The Towers have some of the world's largest cliffs and offer some of the most challenging big wall climbing oppor ...
(also known as Nameless Tower; 6239m).
* 2012
Chogolisa
Chogolisa ( derived from ''Chogo Ling Sa''; literally "Great Hunt") is a trapezoidal mountain located in the Karakoram range within the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. It is situated near the Baltoro Glacier in the Concordia region, which i ...
(7668m) on the
Baltoro glacier
The Baltoro Glacier (; ) is a glacier located in the Shigar District of the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan. It stretches for in length. It is one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions. It is home to some of the world’s high ...
in the Karakoram (
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
): Lama and Ortner summited Chogolisa I and skied down the mountain's North-West Face.
* 2013 Sagwand (Austria): First winter ascent of ''Schiefer Riss'' on the Sagwand in
Tyrol
Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...
with
Hansjörg Auer
Hansjörg Auer (; 18 February 1984 – 16 April 2019) was an Austrian mountaineer, noted for his free solo climbs, and particularly of ''Fish Route'' in the Italian Dolomites, the first-ever big wall solo at . ''National Geographic'' descr ...
and Peter Ortner.
*2013 The Moose's Tooth Massif (Alaska): From 12 to 14 April, Lama, together with
Dani Arnold
Dani Arnold (born 22 February 1984)Christian ThieleInterview in: '' alpin.de'' 6/2016. is a Swiss extreme mountaineer.
Life and career
Arnold grew up in the Canton of Uri and developed a passion for mountaineering at an early age. He first co ...
, made the first ascent of ''Bird of Prey'' (1500m, 6a, M7+, 90°, A2) up
Moose's Tooth.
*2014 Karakoram (Pakistan): First serious attempt (after a reconnaissance in 2013) at the unclimbed North-East Face of
Masherbrum
Masherbrum, formerly known as K1, is a mountain located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of the Karakoram mountain range. It has an elevation of 7,821 metres (25,659 feet), ranking as the 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest ...
(K1). His partners were Peter Ortner and Hansjörg Auer. The team was forced to retreat before reaching the actual face because of persistent avalanche danger.
*2017 Solu Khumbu (Nepal): Together with
Hansjörg Auer
Hansjörg Auer (; 18 February 1984 – 16 April 2019) was an Austrian mountaineer, noted for his free solo climbs, and particularly of ''Fish Route'' in the Italian Dolomites, the first-ever big wall solo at . ''National Geographic'' descr ...
and Alex Blümel, Lama summited
Ama Dablam
Ama Dablam is a mountain in the Eastern Himalayas range of Koshi Province, Nepal. The main peak is , the lower western peak is . Ama Dablam means "mother's necklace"; the long ridges on each side like the arms of a mother (''ama'') protecting he ...
(6812 m) on October 15, in order to acclimatise for the trio's second expedition to the South-East Pillar of
Annapurna III
Annapurna III () is a mountain in the Annapurna mountain range located in Nepal, and at tall, it is the 42nd highest mountain in the world and the third highest peak of the Annapurna mountain range ( Annapurna Fang is technically taller at , b ...
(7555 m) which Lama's partners bowed out of eventually.
*2018 Solu Khumbu (Nepal): First ascent (solo) of
Lunag Ri
Lunag Ri is a mountain in the Rolwaling Himal mountain range of the Himalayas.
The high Lunag Ri is located on the Himalayan main ridge on the border between Nepal and Tibet. Lunag Ri is west of Cho Oyu (). The Jobo Rinjang () forms a southeas ...
(6907m) via the West Pillar, after three attempts (in 2015 and 2016, with Conrad Anker and solo). Honoured with a Piolet d'Or, posthumously, in July 2019.
*2018 Together with three friends from Austria, Lama summited
Cholatse
Cholatse (), also known as Jobo Lhaptshan, is a mountain in the Khumbu region of the Nepalese Himalaya. Cholatse is connected to Taboche (6,501m) by a long ridge, with the Chola glacier descending from the mountain's east face. The north and e ...
(6501 m), also in the Solu Khumbu, Nepal.
*2019 Alberta (Canada): Lama,
Hansjörg Auer
Hansjörg Auer (; 18 February 1984 – 16 April 2019) was an Austrian mountaineer, noted for his free solo climbs, and particularly of ''Fish Route'' in the Italian Dolomites, the first-ever big wall solo at . ''National Geographic'' descr ...
and
Jess Roskelley climbed the
mixed climbing
Mixed climbing is an ice climbing discipline used on climbing routes that do not have enough ice to be regular ice climbs, but are also not dry enough to be regular rock climbing, rock climbs. To ascend the route, the mixed-climber uses ice-cli ...
route ''Andromeda Strain'' (M5, 700 m) on
Mount Andromeda (3450 m).
Honor
The first bivouac in the Himalayas, Nepal, has been named the "David Lama Biwak" in honor of David Lama’s remarkable contributions to mountaineering and his deep connection between Nepal and Austria. This shelter, located at an altitude of 5,080 meters in Upper Jaboo, Rolwaling, Nepal, stands as a tribute to Lama's legacy in both the climbing community and his role in bridging cultural and mountaineering ties between the two nations.
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References
External links
*
IFSC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lama, David
1990 births
2019 deaths
Austrian rock climbers
Austrian mountain climbers
Austrian people of Nepalese descent
Sportspeople from Innsbruck
Deaths in avalanches
21st-century Austrian people
Piolet d'Or winners
IFSC Climbing World Championships medalists
IFSC Climbing World Cup overall medalists
Austrian competition climbers
Sport deaths in Canada