'Determined' Spanish climber found dead after crowning Himalayan K2 peak
Friday, August 1, 2014 @ 4:09 PM
FAMOUS Spanish mountaineer Miguel Ángel Pérez has been found dead in his tent at Camp 4 on the K2.
The climber was on his up the 8,200-metre mountain in the Himalayas after having crowned it four days ago for the second time in his life – one of the eight of the world's 14 peaks exceeding 8,000 metres which he has successfully conquered – in an attempt to reach the summit solo this time.
After a first, aborted attempt to scale the peak, due to extreme cold, Miguel Ángel had to seek refuge in the well-known 'Bottleneck' area and, having made it to Camp 4 apparently in good health, intended to carry on down to Base Camp where the rescue team was waiting for him.
But on Wednesday morning he was found dead in his tent – a tragedy discovered by fellow mountaineer, US-born Cleo Weidlich, who had the unpleasant task of breaking the news.
Close friend of the deceased, climber Jesús Calleja from León in central Spain, said Miguel Ángel was a determined character who never gave up – and that this could have turned out to be a fatal flaw in his personality, a weakness as well as a strength.
“It might have been more advisable for him to have gone back down after conquering the K2 rather than making a final attempt to reach the summit alone – he has always been a person who doesn't give up easily, and this may have been what cost him his life,” laments Calleja.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com