Successful German alpinist found dead in the Himalayas

His body was found on the third highest mountain in the world, the eight-thousander Kangchenjunga in the Himalayas, said Nepalese official Khimlal Gautam on Tuesday. The experienced mountain and ski guide Stitzinger has been missing since last Thursday. The 54-year-old had previously been alone on the 8,586-meter-high mountain on the border between India and Nepal.

Stitzinger’s body was found at an altitude of 8,400 meters and was brought down by five Sherpas, said Mingma Sherpa, head of the expedition company Seven Summit Treks, which organized Stitzinger’s expedition, according to the local “Himalayan Times”. Accordingly, the alpinist from Füssen was on the road without artificial oxygen.

Stitzinger is particularly known as a “big mountain skier”. According to his own statements, the extreme athlete has already skied on seven eight-thousanders. On his tours he was sometimes accompanied by his wife Alix von Melle, who is also a mountaineer. Together they published the book “Passion for Life: Together on the highest mountains in the world”. The description of the book says: “Luis felt at home in the mountains even as a child; the experienced mountain guide and expedition leader crowns ascents with spectacular ski descents. Worrying about each other often puts relationships to the test.”