David Lama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
David Lama

David Lama in 2014
Personal information
Nationality	Austrian
Born	(1990-08-04)4 August 1990 Innsbruck, Austria
Died	16 April 2019(2019-04-16) (aged 28) Howse Peak, Alberta, Canada
Climbing career
Type of climber	Sport climbing, bouldering, Alpine
Highest grade	Redpoint: 9a (5.14d)
Sport
Retired	2011
Medal record IFSC World Championships Bronze 2009 Xining Lead IFSC European Championships Gold 2006 Yekaterinburg Lead Gold 2007 Birmingham Bouldering IFSC Climbing World Cup Winner 2008 Overall
Updated on 13 May 2013.

David Lama (born August 4, 1990 – died April 16, 2019) was an amazing Austrian sport climber and mountaineer. He was known for his incredible skills on both rock and ice. David won the European Championship in bouldering in 2007. He also won the European Championship in lead climbing in 2006.

One of his most famous achievements was being the first to free climb the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre. This means he climbed using only his hands and feet on the rock, with ropes just for safety. In 2018, he made history again. He was the first person to reach the top of Lunag Ri in the Himalayas by himself. After his death, he received a special award called the Piolet d'Or for this amazing solo climb.

About David Lama

David Lama was born in 1990. His father was a mountain guide from Nepal. His mother was from Innsbruck, Austria. When David was just five years old, a famous climber named Peter Habeler saw him climb. Peter immediately knew David had a special talent. David then joined a climbing team coached by Reinhold Scherer.

David's Early Climbing Competitions

David started competing at a young age. In 2004, when he was 14, he won the European Youth Cup. That same year, he climbed his first very hard route, rated 5.14b (8c).

He won the European Youth Cup again in 2005. In 2006, he moved up to compete against adults. The International Federation for Sport Climbing (IFSC) changed its rules. This allowed David, who was only 15, to compete in the adult World Cup. He became the youngest person to compete in the World Cup. He was also the first to win both a lead and a bouldering World Cup final in his first year.

David became the European Champion in lead climbing in 2006. He also won the bouldering championship in 2007. In 2008, he won the overall World Cup title. In 2009, he placed third at the World Championships in lead climbing.

In 2011, David decided to stop competing. He wanted to focus completely on mountaineering.

David's Amazing Mountain Climbs

Free Climbing Cerro Torre

Cerro Torre in South America.

In 2009, David Lama announced a big goal. He wanted to free climb Cerro Torre using the Compressor Route. Free climbing means you only use the natural rock and ice to move up. Ropes and bolts are only there to catch you if you fall. No one had ever free climbed this route before. Other climbers had always used special tools to help them climb. Some famous climbers even said it was impossible.

David's first try in 2009 didn't go as planned. Bad weather forced him and his partner to turn back. A film crew from his sponsor, Red Bull, was with them. This film crew left behind some equipment on the mountain. This caused a big problem in the climbing world. People were upset because it made the mountain less wild. David said he didn't know about all the equipment left behind. But he took full responsibility and promised to fix it.

He returned in 2011 for a second try. This time, Peter Ortner, a more experienced climber, joined him. They still faced challenges, but they managed to reach the summit using some climbing aids. This helped them learn more about the route for their free climbing attempt.

In January 2012, David and his team came back for a third try. Just before their climb, two other climbers, Jason Kruk and Hayden Kennedy, climbed the Compressor Route. On their way down, they removed over 120 old bolts. These bolts had been placed by earlier climbers. This made the route much harder, which caused a big debate. David said he didn't need the bolts anyway.

On January 19, 2012, David Lama and Peter Ortner made history. They completed the first free ascent of Cerro Torre's south-east ridge. It took them 24 hours. David said they didn't need to place any new bolts. They climbed a difficult section that David rated 8a (5.13b). They slept on the mountain overnight. The next day, they continued to the summit, following new cracks in the rock.

In 2013, National Geographic named David Lama "Adventurer of the Year" for this amazing climb. A movie called Cerro Torre: A Snowball's Chance in Hell tells the story of this climb.

Solo Ascent of Lunag Ri

View of Lunag Ri from Cho Oyu base camp.

In 2015, David Lama wanted to climb Lunag Ri. This mountain in the Himalayas was one of the highest unclimbed peaks. He teamed up with American climber Conrad Anker.

Their first attempt in November 2015 didn't reach the top. They had to turn back because of bad weather and difficult snow conditions. They were about 300 meters from the summit.

They returned in 2016 for a second try. But during this climb, Conrad Anker had a heart attack. They quickly rappelled down the mountain. Conrad was rescued by helicopter and had surgery. Because of this, Conrad decided to stop high-altitude climbing.

David was left without a climbing partner. He decided to try climbing Lunag Ri alone. This was his third attempt. He used special "roped solo" techniques. This means he climbed a section, secured his rope, then went back down to remove his safety gear. This was very hard with a heavy backpack. He had to turn back again.

On October 23, 2018, David Lama returned for his fourth and final attempt. He climbed the mountain alone over three days. He faced very cold temperatures, around -30 °C, and strong winds. On the third day, he couldn't feel his toes. But he kept going and reached the summit at 10:00 a.m. After a few minutes at the top, he immediately started rappelling down. He made it back to base camp at midnight. Luckily, he didn't lose any of his toes. This was an incredible solo achievement.

David's Tragic Death

On April 16, 2019, David Lama was climbing with Jess Roskelley and Hansjörg Auer. They were on Howse Peak in the Canadian Rockies. They had just climbed a new route on the east face of the mountain. This was a very challenging climb.

Photos from Jess Roskelley's phone show they reached the summit at 12:44 PM. Their bodies were found on April 21, 2019. It seems a large piece of ice broke off above their route. This caused a huge avalanche that swept them away. The avalanche happened at 1:58 PM, just 31 minutes after they had started their descent. Their bodies were found in the snow below the mountain.

Competition Results

David Lama in 2014 at an event in Lienz, Austria.

IFSC World Championships

UIAA and IFSC European Championships

Medals in the UIAA and IFSC Climbing World Cups

David won the overall IFSC World Cup in 2008.

Lead / Combined

Bouldering

IFSC Climbing World Youth Championships

European Youth Cups

• David won the European Youth Cup in 2004 and 2005 (Youth B, lead).

Outdoor Sport Climbing Achievements

• 2000: At just 10 years old, David climbed the route Kindergarten in Osp, Slovenia. It was rated 8a (5.13b), making him the youngest person to climb a route of that difficulty at the time.
• 2004: He on-sighted (climbed on the first try without falling) the route Devers Satanique in Gorges du Loup, France. This was a very hard climb, rated 8a+ (5.13c). He also completed his first 8c (5.14b) route, 7pm JP Chaud.
• 2006: In Spain, he on-sighted several routes up to 8b+ (5.14a).
• 2007: In Niederthai, Austria, he climbed three very difficult routes in one day: Gondor (8c), Mordor (8c+/9a), and In Memo Reini (8c).
• 2014: Climbed Atalho do Diabo (5.13) on Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with Felipe Camargo.
• 2015: Climbed Latent Core (5.11 A1) in Zion National Park, USA, with Conrad Anker. Conrad had tried this route 25 years before. David also climbed Avaatara in the Baatara Gorge, Lebanon, rated 9a (5.14d).

Alpine Climbing Achievements

• 2009: In Kyrgyzstan, he made the first free ascent of Asan (4230m) on its Northwest Face.
• 2010: In Italy, David and Jorg Verhoeven completed the first free ascent of Brento Centro. He also repeated Bellavista (11-) on Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the Dolomites.
• 2011: In Argentina, David and Peter Ortner climbed Cerro Torre via the Compressor Route. In Switzerland, they climbed Paciencia (8a) on the North Face of the Eiger. In India, David, Stephan Siegrist, and Denis Burdet made a first ascent called Yoniverse on Cerro Kishtwar.
• 2012: In Patagonia, Argentina, David Lama and Peter Ortner completed the first free ascent of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre in 24 hours. This climb received a special mention at the Piolets d'Or awards in 2013. In Pakistan, David and Peter repeated the route Eternal Flame on Trango Tower (6239m). They also summited Chogolisa (7668m) and skied down its North-West Face.
• 2013: In Tyrol, Austria, David, Hansjörg Auer, and Peter Ortner made the first winter ascent of Schiefer Riss on the Sagwand. In Alaska, David and Dani Arnold made the first ascent of Bird of Prey on Moose's Tooth.
• 2014: In Pakistan, David, Peter Ortner, and Hansjörg Auer attempted the unclimbed North-East Face of Masherbrum (K1). They had to turn back due to avalanche danger.
• 2017: In Nepal, David, Hansjörg Auer, and Alex Blümel climbed Ama Dablam (6812 m) to get used to the altitude.
• 2018: In Nepal, David made the first solo ascent of Lunag Ri (6907m) via the West Pillar. This climb earned him a posthumous Piolet d'Or award in 2019. He also summited Cholatse (6501 m) with friends.
• 2019: In Alberta, Canada, David, Hansjörg Auer, and Jess Roskelley climbed the Andromeda Strain route on Mount Andromeda (3450 m).

See also

In Spanish: David Lama para niños