Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler update: Avalanche suspected cause of accident

Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler update: Avalanche suspected cause of accident

image story Images of Charlie Fowler and Christine Boskoff courtesy of Mountain Madness (click to enlarge).

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Mountain Madness' report

Report on Xinhua.net

08:31 am EST Jan 02, 2007

(MountEverest.net) In 1996 on Everest, we snapped a picture in camp one: Two smiling climbers were sharing a freeze-dried meal. A year or two later on the peak; a woman climbed past us with the speed of a bullet. Behind her, an exhausted man fighting for his breath in the thin air. "I will never catch up with her," he laughed. Most of us were in our thirties and early forties. 10 years later; Scott Fisher, Goran Kropp, Christine Boskoff and her husband are all gone. Only wars and mountains do this to so many young people.

Avalanche suspected cause of accident

November last year, climbing buddies American Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler went missing whilst exploring unclimbed peaks in China. They didn't return to US as planned on December 4th.

Search operations, conducted in Genyan Massif (Sichuan province) and Dequin (Yunnan province), proved extremely difficult, as the little was known about the climbers' exact location. Until last week, when Charlie was found.

Chris' body remains missing

A liaison worker with the Sichuan Mountaineering Association told Xinhua news agency that Fowler's remains were found last Wednesday at 5,300 meters on a 6,204m peak belonging yo Genyen massif, Sichuan Province. "Most of the upper part of the body was buried in snow, but the legs were exposed," the LO said. "His death was probably caused by an avalanche."

"Charlie's body has been recovered in avalanche debris at the base of a peak in the Genyan Massif," reports Mountain Madness, the commercial climbing outfit Christine took over after founder Scott Fisher's death. "Chris' body remains missing."

"Rescuers had found no signs of Boskoff, despite a thorough search within a radius of 20 to 30 meters from the body."

Search suspended until spring

"We will continue to work with authorities in China to recover Chris' body," reports Mountain Madness. "However, due to snowfall, recovery efforts have been suspended. With the onset of winter the recovery effort will likely not resume until spring of 2007."

"Climbing was their passion and they lost their lives doing what they loved most."

Fundraising events

Mountain Madness is hosting an event on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007 at REI's flagship store in Seattle, WA to celebrate the lives of Christine Boskoff and Charlie Fowler. The event will also raise funds for the continued recovery effort of Chris.

Fowler/Boskoff Search Committee has organized an event on January 3, 2007, 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Abbey Theatre in Durango, CO. Further info on the events on MM's website.

With 6, 8000ers summited, Christine Boskoff (39) was among the top female high altitude climbers in the world. Together with her husband, she mantled the Himalayan commercial outfit Mountain Madness after founder Scott Fisher vanished on Everest. Following her husband's death a few years later, Christine continued to run he outfit alone.

Charlie Fowler (52) is described by Alpinist as "one of America's most prolific pioneers, with countless expeditions and first ascents to his credit."