Norwegian climber Arne Naess has reportedly been killed after
fallin 100 metre in a climbing accident in South Africa.
Naess, 66, a Norwegian shipping magnate, was also the country's
leading mountaineer and, between climbs, found time to woo and marry
Diana Ross. He started climbing at the age of 11, was the first
Norwegian to climb the north face of the Matterhorn and led a number
of Himalayan expeditions including a Scandinavian one to Everest
which put an extraordinary 17 climbers on the summit.
It was on this final expedition that Chris Bonington finally
summited the worlds's highest mountain despite having pledged never
to return after the deaths of Boardman and Tasker on the North East
Ridge after Naess 'played him like a fly fisherman' for two years,
before finally persuading him to come on board.
According to reports he was offered the opportunity to take a
local guide on his fatal climb but, as a highly experienced
mountaineer, turned it down. One report suggests that he fell to his
death while descending the mountain. Sad news.
More information from Reuters,
the Independent
Online and Ananova.
