Ondrej Húserka perishes on Langtang Lirung in Nepal

All hope has faded for 34-year-old Slovakian mountaineer Ondrej Húserka. As previously reported, after the first ascent of the huge East Face of Langtang Lirung in Nepal with Czech alpinist Marek Holeček, Húserka fell into a crevasse during the descent. Holeček descended safely to base camp to break the tragic news and a desperate rescue operation was organised by family and friends of Húserka. Ultimately though this was unsuccessful, in part due to poor weather which grounded the helicopter.

Writing on Facebook on Saturday 2 November, Holeček provided stark details about the accident. He explained "On the sixth day, October 31st, around 4 p.m., after starting on the wall, the following happened. I was rappelling down from Abalakov thread (you can look up what that means). Ondra rappelled after me. What held fine for me proved fatal for him. Abalakov thread cracked, and he fell into an ice crevasse. First, he hit an angled surface after an eight-meter drop, then continued down a labyrinth into the depths of the glacier. I rappelled down to him and stayed with him for four hours until his light faded. There’s nothing more to add."

It goes without saying that Húserka was widely regarded as one of the leading young alpinists, not only from Slovakia. He first caught international attention in 2017 with a new route up Pik Alexander Blok in Kyrgyzstan, and then proceeded to establish new climbs in the Alps (on Aiguille d'Argentiere in 2018 and Aiguille du Plan in 2020) and in Patagonia (on Aguja Desmochada in 2022). He progressed to the Himalayas in 2023 and his first ascent of Phaalkan Meenaar, Gangotri, with Wadim Jablonski was included in the Piolets d'Or 2023 list of Significant Ascents.

The ascent of 2.5 km high East Face of Langtang Lirung, carried out in formidable, alpine style over a period of five and a half days after a failed attempted a few days earlier with Holeček and Ondra Mrklovský, is a lasting testament to Húserka's tenacity and talent.