Erhard Loretan

Erhard Loretan (28 April 1959 – 28 April 2011) was a Swiss mountain climber. He was the third man to climb all fourteen peaks over 8,000 meters, and the second to do so without supplementary oxygen. Early life Loretan was born in Bulle in the canton of Fribourg.

He climbed Dent de Broc, his first mountain at age 11 and made his first north face ascent at age 14. At 15, he climbed the east face of the Doldenhorn (3,643m) in the Bernese Alps. He trained as a cabinet maker (1979) and became a mountain guide in 1981.

Climbing career

Loretan was the third person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders (second without oxygen). He made his first expedition to the Andes in 1980 and began climbing the eight-thousanders in 1982 with an ascent of Nanga Parbat.

In 1983, he climbed Gasherbrum II, Gasherbrum I and Broad Peak in alpine style, making the ascents in sequence across 17 days.

In 1984, he did a first ascent of Annapurna (8091m) by the 7km long east ridge with Norbert Joos and descended via the north side, a traverse that has never been repeated. That winter, he made the first winter ascent of Dhaulagiri.

In 2002, he made a first ascent of Pumori's North Ridge, from the Tibetan side. At that time, shaken baby syndrome was largely unknown, but he decided to disclose his name to the press in the hope that other parents might avoid a similar tragedy. Publicity of the case raised awareness of the danger of shaking children due to their weak neck muscles. He died on his 52nd birthday.

Climbing history