The Swiss climber Ueli Steck has been killed on Mount Everest, Nepal’s tourist office says.
Steck, who was known as the “Swiss Machine”, died in an accident while acclimatising for an attempt on the mountain, without oxygen, by a new route.
The 40-year-old had won multiple awards and was known for his rapid ascents.
His body has been recovered from the mountain and flown to Kathmandu by helicopter.
On Wednesday Steck wrote on his Facebook page that he had a “quick day from Basecamp up to 7,000m and back” as he believed “active acclimatisation” was the most effective way of getting used to high altitude.
The climber reached Mount Everest’s summit without oxygen in 2012, and in 2015 climbed all 82 Alpine peaks over 4,000m (13,100ft) in 62 days.
Steck had returned to the world’s tallest mountain four years on from an altercation with sherpas which caused him to abandon an attempt to climb Everest and Lhotse.
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British mountaineer Kenton Cool paid tribute to Steck, describing him as “a true inspiration” who “showed us all what was possible in the mountains and beyond”.
The British Mountaineering Council described him as a “legendary mountaineer and all-round great guy”.
Ueli Steck had successfully climbed Everest without oxygen before
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