John Snorri Sigurjónsson | |
---|---|
Born | (1973-06-20)20 June 1973 |
Disappeared | 5 February 2021 K2,Pakistan |
Died | c. 5 February 2021(2021-02-05) (aged 47) (officially presumed dead atK2 Bottleneck on 18 February 2021) K2, Pakistan |
Body discovered | 26 July 2021[1] |
Resting place | K2 Mountain |
Nationality | Icelandic |
Occupation(s) | Mountaineer, member of the Icelandic National Rescue Team, Emergency Medical Technician |
Known for | First Icelander to summit K2 |
Spouse | Lína Móey Bjarnadóttir |
Children | 6 |
Website | johnsnorri.com |
John Snorri Sigurjónsson (20 June 1973 –c. 5 February 2021) was an Icelandic mountaineer.[2][3] In May 2017, he became the first Icelander to summitLhotse in theHimalayas, which is 8,516 meters high and the fourth highest mountain in the world.[4] On July 28 of the same year, he became the first Icelander to summitK2.[5] On 4 August 2017, he successfully summitedBroad Peak (8051 m).[6]
On 5 February 2021, John Snorri along withAli Sadpara andJuan Mohr went missing while attempting aK2 summit push from Camp 3.[7][8] On 18 February,Pakistan authorities officially presumed the three men dead, but stated that the search for their remains would continue.[9] On 26 July 2021, the bodies of the three missing mountaineers were found in the slopes above Camp 4.[10]
Born in the countryside ofÖlfus,Iceland, he excelled at sports at an early age, and later found his physical and mental passion inmountain climbing.[11]
His first notable success wasMont Blanc (4,808 meters) in 2011, the highest mountain in theAlps. In the following years he conquered some of the world's most challenging summits.[12]
In November 2020, John Snorri, along withAli Sadpara andSajid Sadpara had organized an attempt to summitK2 during the winter season.[14] On January 18, Russian-American climberAlex Goldfarb went missing during a training climb on nearbyPastore Peak. John delayed his plans to help with search and rescue operation, although the operation was not successful.[15]
After arriving at K2, Chilean mountaineerJuan Pablo Mohr Prieto joined the group and on 4 February 2021, the group started their final summit push. Sajid had to descend to Camp 3 due to a technical issue with his oxygen device, leaving the others at theBottleneck, close to the summit. His father, Snorri, and Mohr continued the ascent, but they did not return by night as planned.[16]
Pakistani authorities declared on 18 February that the three men were officially presumed dead, but that the search for their remains would continue. At the end of June 2021, filmmaker Elia Saikaly, along with Sajid Sadpara and PK Sherpa, started a search on the mountain for the missing climbers.[17] On 26 July 2021, the bodies of the three missing mountaineers were found[10][18] by a Madison Mountaineering Sherpa Team fixing ropes above Camp 4.[19] Snorri's body was found above theBottleneck around 8,400 meters, still latched to the fixed ropes.[20] Exhaustion has been cited as the cause of death.[21]
At the request of his family he was buried on the mountain.[22]
John Snorri was married to Lína Móey Bjarnadóttir.[23] He had six children.[24]