Guillermo Mateo lost on Ama Dablam after a winter summit

Guillermo Mateo lost on Ama Dablam after a winter summit

10:02 am EST Jan 22, 2007

(MountEverest.net) Spanish climber Guillermo Mateo (47) fell to his death while descending from the summit of Ama Dablam on January 19, Nepalese and Spanish authorities have confirmed. Guillermo was member in a Spanish winter expedition on Ama Dablam, teaming up with five other veteran mountaineering instructors from central Spain.

Guillermo updated his website on January 9, from Namche Bazaar. The team planned to climb Lobuche peak for acclimatization, and after Ama Dablam, Guillermo hoped to repeat his attempt from last year for a first ascent of Tengkang Poche (6500m), together with Ramon Garcia.

Ama Dablam's lethal beauty

Local sources stated Guillermo fell 300 meters, 35 minutes after reaching Ama’s summit. Local rescue patrols and the Spanish honorary consulate are coordinating rescue labors in order to retrieve the body, spotted in an area only accessible by helicopter.

Known as one of the most beautiful peaks in Nepal, Ama Dablam has been shrouded in tragedy over the past months. Last fall, a collapsing serac killed six climbers sleeping in C3.

Guillermo Mateo (47) from Madrid, Spain, was a mountain guide and climbing instructor. He fell to his death after reaching the summit of Ama Dablam on January 19, 2007.

November 13, 2006, six Ama Dablam climbers (one Brit, two Swedes and three Nepalese Sherpas) were swept by an avalanche while sleeping in C3 on the normal route, shortly before attempting the summit.

The missing climbers belonged to two different teams: Swedes Mikael Forsberg (41) and Daniel Carlsson (27), together with their Sherpas Danurbu Sherpa (37) and Tashi Dorje Sherpa (36), were part of an independent Swedish team led by Mikael whose members had summited Island peak some days before. British Duncan Williams (32) and his Sherpa Mingma Nuru were climbing with a team launched by British outfitter Adventure Peaks.

Located in the upper Khumbu Valley, above Thyangboche, Ama Dablam, “The Goddess’ Necklace” is among the most frequently photographed peaks in Nepal, and a favorite climbing target due to its elegant shape. The normal route climbs along the SW ridge, on mixed terrain. The peak’s reported altitude varies, depending on the source, from 6812 to 6828m.