Tomaž Humar (February 18, 1969 – ), nicknamed Gozdni Joža (akin to

Hillbilly Hillbilly is a term (often derogatory) for people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas in the United States, primarily in southern Appalachia and the Ozarks. The term was later used to refer to people from other rural and mountainous areas west ...

), was a Slovenian

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

. A father of two, Humar lived in

Kamnik, Slovenia Kamnik (; german: Stein''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, pp. 26–27. or ''Stein in Oberkrain'') is a town in northern Slovenia. It is ...

. He completed over 1500 ascents, and won a number of mountaineering and other awards, including the

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, ice, or frozen conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its simplest role it is used like a walking ...

in 1996 for his

Ama Dablam Ama Dablam is a mountain in the eastern Himalayan range of Province No. 1, 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 ...

ascent.

Climbing career

Humar became widely recognized in 1999 after his solo ascent of the south face of

Dhaulagiri Dhaulagiri is the seventh highest mountain in the world at above sea level, and the highest mountain within the borders of a single country (Nepal). It was first climbed on 13 May 1960 by a Swiss-Austrian-Nepali expedition. Annapurna I () is ...

, considered one of the deadliest routes in the

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 planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

s with a 40% fatality rate. During a solo attempt to climb

Nanga Parbat Nanga Parbat ( ur, ) (; ), known locally as Diamer () which means “king of the mountains”, is the ninth-highest mountain on Earth, its summit at above sea level. Lying immediately southeast of the northernmost bend of the Indus River in ...

in 2005, Humar became trapped by avalanches and melting snow at an altitude of nearly 6000 meters. After six days in a

snow cave A snow cave is a shelter constructed from snow by certain animals in the wild, human mountain climbers, winter recreational enthusiasts, and winter survivalists. It has thermal properties similar to an igloo and is particularly effective at pr ...

he was rescued by a

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

helicopter crew on August 10, 2005: Lieutenant Colonel Rashid Ulah Baig and Major Khalid Amir Rana. On October 28, 2007, Humar reached the Eastern summit of Annapurna I, , via a route at the far eastern end of the South Face. On November 9, 2009, Humar, who was on a solo climb via the South Face of Langtang Lirung (last climbed in 1995), had an accident during the descent. His only contact with the base camp staff via a

satellite phone A satellite telephone, satellite phone or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to other phones or the telephone network by radio through orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites, as cellphones do. The advantage of a ...

was made on the day of the accident and he appeared to be in critical condition with leg, spine and rib injuries. He was stuck on the mountain at an elevation of approximately for several days before his body was found on November 14, 2009, at an elevation of .

Prominent expeditions

*13. November 1994: Ganesh V (6770 m), in

Ganesh Himal __NOTOC__ Ganesh Himāl ( ne, गणेश हिमाल) is a sub-range of the Himalayas located mostly in north-central Nepal, but some peaks lie on the border with Tibet. The Trisuli Gandaki valley on the east separates it from the Langtang Hi ...

, new variation on SE face, with Stane Belak-Šrauf *6. May 1995:

Annapurna Annapurna (; ne, अन्नपूर्ण) is a mountain situated in the Annapurna mountain range of Gandaki Province, north-central Nepal. It is the tenth highest mountain in the world at above sea level and is well known for the diffic ...

(8091 m), N face, French Route, solo climb (the only traditional expedition in which he participated) *4. May 1996:

(6828 m), new route on NW face, with

Vanja Furlan Vanja is a given name. It was originally a nickname for Ivan. People with this name include: * Vanja Blomberg (born 1929), Swedish gymnast and Olympic champion * Vanja Džaferović (born 1983), Bosnian and Croatian footballer *Vanja Drach (1932� ...

*2. November 1996: Bobaye (6808 m), 1st ascent of the summit, NW face, new route "Golden Heart", solo climb *1. October 1997: Lobuche East (6119 m), NE face, new route "Talking About Tsampa", with Janez Jeglič and Carlos Carsolio *9-11. October 1997:

Pumori Pumori ( ne, पुमोरी, ) (or Pumo Ri) is a mountain on the Nepal- China border in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. Pumori lies just eight kilometres west of Mount Everest. Pumori, meaning "the Mountain Daughter" in Sherpa langu ...

(7165 m), SE face attempt of new route up to 6300 m - then after participation in rescue action at N reached the summit by normal route), with Janez Jeglič, Marjan Kovač *31. October 1997:

Nuptse Nuptse or Nubtse ( Sherpa: नुबचे, Wylie: Nub rtse, ) is a mountain in the Khumbu region of the Mahalangur Himal, in the Nepalese Himalayas. It lies two kilometres WSW of Mount Everest. Nubtse is Tibetan for "west peak", as it is the w ...

West top (NW, 7742 m), W face, new route, with

Janez Jeglič Janez may refer to: People: * Janez (given name), a Slovene given name * Janež, a Slovene surname In music: *Janez Detd., a Belgian rock band May also refer to a semi-pejorative term used in the Croatian North and beyond for Slovenes The ...

(who died during descent) *26. October 1998:

El Capitan El Capitan ( es, El Capitán; "the Captain" or "the Chief") is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is about from base to summit along its tallest ...

(2307 m) (

Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...

), route Reticent Wall A4-A5, 3rd solo climb (1st solo by non-American) *2. November 1999:

(8167 m), new route on S face (up to 8000 m, without reaching the top), solo climb *26. October 2002: Shisha Pangma, (8046 m), with Maxut Zhumaiev, Denis Urubko, Aleksej Raspopov, Vassiliy Pivtsov *June 2003: Nanga Parbat (8125 m), his first attempt to climb Rupal (S) Face, up to ca. 6000 m *22. December 2003:

Aconcagua Aconcagua () is a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in the Southern Hemisphere with a summi ...

(6960 m), S face, new route with Aleš Koželj *October 2004:

Jannu Mount Kumbhakarna or Jannu (Limbu: ''Phoktanglungma'') is the 32nd-highest mountain in the world. It is an important western outlier of Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest peak. Kumbhakarna is a large and steep peak in its own right, and ha ...

(7711 m), E face, attempt solo up to 7000 m *23. April 2005:

Cholatse Cholatse (also known as Jobo Lhaptshan) ( ne, चोलात्से) is a mountain in the Khumbu region of the Nepalese Himalaya. Cholatse is connected to Taboche (6,501m) by a long ridge. The Chola glacier descends off the east face. The nor ...

(6440 m), NE face 2nd ascent with new variation, with Aleš Koželj, Janko Oprešnik *Aug 2005:

(8125 m), attempt to solo climb Rupal (S) Face, up to 7000 meters (with famous helicopter rescue action - see main text above) *October 2006: Baruntse (7129 m), W face of SE ridge, solo *28. October 2007:

(8091 m), S face, new route, solo climb * (ca.) 8. November 2009: Langtang Lirung (7227 m), S face solo attempt, died during descent

Bibliography

* Tomaz Humar: ''Black Rock. The Northwest Face of Bobaye''. "American Alpine Journal", Vol. 1997, pp. 17–18 * Tomaz Humar: ''Nuptse West Face''. "American Alpine Journal", Vol. 1998, pp. 3–10 * Tomaž Humar: ''Ni nemogočih poti''. Mobitel, Ljubljana 2001. () , 207 pages * Tomaž Humar: ''No Impossible Ways'' (transl. Tamara Soban). Mobitel, Ljubljana 2001. (), 104 pages

References

External links

Tomaž Humar websiteTomaž Humar website: ExpeditionsTomaž Humar dies in Langtang Lirung Tomaž Humar final rescue attempt
- Daily Telegraph obituary
Tomaz Humar Dies on Langtang Lirung
- Climbing Magazine detailed obituary by Dougald MacDonald {{DEFAULTSORT:Humar, Tomaz 1969 births 2009 deaths Mountaineering deaths Slovenian mountain climbers Sport deaths in Nepal Sportspeople from Ljubljana People from Kamnik

Climbing career

Prominent expeditions

Bibliography

Further reading

References

External links