Ueli Steck “Swiss Machine” remembered
Original news item posted to chamonixallyear.com by Kirsteen MacKenzie
On 23rd May the family of Swiss climber Ueli Steck held a public memorial service in Interlaken near Steck’s home community of Ringgenberg and the Bernese Oberland mountains, where he realised so many of his climbing achievements.
Known as the “Swiss Machine” he first hit the headlines at the age of 18 when he climbed the North face of local landmark the Eiger. He went on to build a globally recognised solo career with several milestones.
In 2009 and 2014 he was awarded the Piolet d’Or, one of the most important awards in the world of mountaineering. Renowned for his speed, he broke the record for the fastest climb of the Eiger not once but three times. Among other achievements the veritable “Swiss Machine” also ascended the south face of Annapurna solo, climbed Everest without oxygen and even succeeded in climbing all 82 Alpine peaks over 4,000m in 62 days.
All photos courtesy of PlanetMountain, credit Jonathan Griffith – taken during his 2008 speed solo of the Colton Macintyre (Grandes Jorasses, Chamonix) in 2 hours 21 minutes.