Erhard Loretan
Encyclopedia
Erhard Loretan was a Swiss mountain climber.
Loretan was born in Bulle
in the canton of Fribourg
. He trained as a cabinet-maker (1979) and mountain guide (1981) and began his climbing career at the age of 11. He died on his 52nd birthday while climbing the Grünhorn
in the Swiss Alps
.
Loretan was the third person to have climbed all 14 eight-thousanders, a feat he accomplished at the age of 36. He made his first expedition to the Andes
in 1980 and began his conquest of the 8000 metres (26,247 ft) peaks in 1982 with the deadly Nanga Parbat
. 13 years later, in 1995, he climbed the last of them, Kangchenjunga
. In 1986, together with Jean Troillet
, Loretan made a revolutionary ascent of Mount Everest
in only 43 hours, climbing by night and without the use of supplementary oxygen
.
Loretan was convicted in 2003 of the manslaughter
of his seven-month-old son, after shaking him for a short period of time to stop him crying in late 2001. He was given a four-month suspended sentence
. Publicity of the case raised awareness of the danger of shaking children
due to weak neck muscles.
Loretan was born in Bulle
Bulle
Bulle is a municipality in the district of Gruyère in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. In January 2006 Bulle incorporated the formerly independent municipality of La Tour-de-Trême.-History:...
in the canton of Fribourg
Canton of Fribourg
The Canton of Fribourg is a canton of Switzerland. It is located in the west of the country. The capital of the canton is Fribourg. The name Fribourg is French, whereas is the German name for both the canton and the town.-History:...
. He trained as a cabinet-maker (1979) and mountain guide (1981) and began his climbing career at the age of 11. He died on his 52nd birthday while climbing the Grünhorn
Grünhorn
The Grünhorn is a mountain in the Bernese Alps range of the Swiss Alps. It is located on the ridge between the two largest glaciers of the Alps: the Aletsch Glacier to the west and the Fiescher Glacier to the east...
in the Swiss Alps
Swiss Alps
The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....
.
Loretan was the third person to have climbed all 14 eight-thousanders, a feat he accomplished at the age of 36. He made his first expedition to the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
in 1980 and began his conquest of the 8000 metres (26,247 ft) peaks in 1982 with the deadly Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters...
. 13 years later, in 1995, he climbed the last of them, Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain of the world with an elevation of and located along the India-Nepal border in the Himalayas.Kangchenjunga is also the name of the section of the Himalayas and means "The Five Treasures of Snows", as it contains five peaks, four of them over...
. In 1986, together with Jean Troillet
Jean Troillet
Jean Troillet was born 10 March 1948 at Orsieres and lives at La Fouly in Valais.Of Swiss and Canadian nationality, he obtained his mountain guide qualifications in 1969. He has climbed ten peaks of more than 8000 metres, all in alpine style and without oxygen.Troillet climbed Everest in 1986...
, Loretan made a revolutionary ascent of Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
in only 43 hours, climbing by night and without the use of supplementary oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
.
Loretan was convicted in 2003 of the manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
of his seven-month-old son, after shaking him for a short period of time to stop him crying in late 2001. He was given a four-month suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
. Publicity of the case raised awareness of the danger of shaking children
Shaken baby syndrome
Shaken baby syndrome is a triad of medical symptoms: subdural hematoma, retinal hemorrhage, and brain swelling from which doctors, consistent with current medical understanding, infer child abuse caused by intentional shaking...
due to weak neck muscles.
| Peak | Year |
|---|---|
| Nanga Parbat Nanga Parbat Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain on Earth, the second highest mountain in Pakistan and among the eight-thousanders with a summit elevation of 8,126 meters... |
1982 |
| Gasherbrum II Gasherbrum II Gasherbrum II , also known as K4, is the 13th highest mountain on Earth, located on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan province, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China... |
1983 |
| Gasherbrum I Gasherbrum I Gasherbrum I , also known as Hidden Peak or K5, is the 11th highest peak on Earth, located on the Pakistan-China border in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and Xinjiang region of China. Gasherbrum I is part of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya... |
1983 |
| Broad Peak Broad Peak Broad Peak , is the 12th highest mountain on Earth, with an elevation of 8,051 meters . The literal translation of "Broad Peak" to Faichan Kangri is not accepted among the Balti people.- Geography :... |
1983 |
| Manaslu Manaslu Manaslu , also known as Kutang) is the eighth highest mountain in the world, and is located in the Mansiri Himal, part of the Nepalese Himalayas, in the west-central part of Nepal. Its name, which means "Mountain of the Spirit", comes from the Sanskrit word Manasa, meaning "intellect" or "soul"... |
1984 |
| Annapurna Annapurna Annapurna is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over and 16 more over .... |
1984 |
| K2 K2 K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest... |
1985 |
| Dhaulagiri Dhaulagiri Dhaulagiri is Earth's seventh highest mountain at ; one of fourteen over eight thousand metres. Dhaulagiri was first climbed May 13, 1960 by a Swiss/Austrian expedition.... |
1985 |
| Mount Everest Mount Everest Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point... |
1986 |
| Cho Oyu Cho Oyu Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu lies in the Himalayas and is 20 km west of Mount Everest, at the border between China and Nepal... |
1990 |
| Shisha Pangma | 1990 |
| Makalu Makalu Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world at and is located southeast of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China... |
1991 |
| Lhotse Lhotse Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Everest via the South Col. In addition to the main summit at 8,516 metres above sea level, Lhotse Middle is and Lhotse Shar is... |
1994 |
| Kangchenjunga Kangchenjunga Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain of the world with an elevation of and located along the India-Nepal border in the Himalayas.Kangchenjunga is also the name of the section of the Himalayas and means "The Five Treasures of Snows", as it contains five peaks, four of them over... |
1995 |