David Lama (1990-2019) was a renowned Austrian Nepali Origin rock climber and alpinist, celebrated for his exceptional talent and pioneering achievements in both competitive climbing and mountaineering.
Lama Born on August 4, 1990 in Innsbruck, Austria, to a Nepali mountain guide father Rinzi Lama and an Austrian mother Claudia Lama.
Lama was introduced to climbing at a young age. His potential was recognized early on by the legendary climber Peter Habeler, who invited him to a climbing camp at just five years old.
Lama quickly made a name for himself in the competitive climbing scene. He won the European Youth Cup in 2004 at the age of 14 and repeated this success in 2005. By 2006, he became the youngest climber to compete in the Senior World Cup, where he made history by winning both lead and bouldering titles in his first season.
Despite his success in competitions, Lama grew disillusioned with the indoor climbing circuit and shifted his focus to outdoor climbing and mountaineering.
In 2012, he made the first free ascent of the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre in Patagonia, a climb that solidified his reputation as one of the top climbers in the world.’
In 2018, became the first to summit Lunag Ri (6,907 m) in Nepal during a solo expedition. This accomplishment was recognized posthumously with a Piolet d’Or in 2019. In 2018, became the first to summit Lunag Ri (6,907 m) in Nepal during a solo expedition. This accomplishment was recognized posthumously with a Piolet d’Or in 2019.
In 2019, Lama, one of the most impressive all-round climbers from this generation, died in an accident on Howse Peak with his partners Hansjörg Auer and Jess Roskelley.’
The experienced trio were swept down the east face in an avalanche during their descent after reaching the summit.
On July 19, 2019 more than 1,600 people gathered in memoriam of David Lama in front of his beloved home mountains, the Kalkkögel in Tirol/Austria.
In spring 2022, led by Lama’s parents, a group of 10 people set off for Nepal, including Ortner, his long-time coach Reinhold Scherer. The aim of the trip was to set up a last resting-place for some of Lama’s ashes at the summit of the 5,800-metre Fox Peak, which Lama had climbed several times to acclimatise.
“We watched through binoculars from base camp as David’s friends built a chorten, a kind of Nepali shrine, on the summit of Fox Peak and left some of his ashes there,” said Claudia Lama to the Gripped. ….It’s good to know that part of David will forever be in such a special place in the middle of the Nepali mountains.”
Lama wasn’t just a climbing legend; he had the brains to match his brawn. “Climbers are open to risks and fears,” he once said. “We think deeply about what can go wrong. It’s important to stay alive, but everyone could benefit from considering the consequences of their actions like climbers do.”
Conrad Anker, American mountaineer and Lama’s climbing partner, remembers him as a quiet genius. “David was shy, quiet, and introverted. He found his power in climbing,”
But Lama wasn’t just about climbing mountains. He had a heart of gold too. “He was that guy who would stop on the side of the road in the middle of a snowstorm to help someone fix a tire,” Anker recalled. In 2016, when Anker suffered a heart attack at altitude, it was Lama who helped him off the mountain.
Photographer and climbing partner Corey Rich summed up Lama’s duality: “There was no such thing as a half-assed adventure with David. It was always full-ticket ride.” Rich added, “He was unquestionably one of the most elite, all-around climbers of all time.”
Gone but not forgotten, David Lama’s spirit lives on in every climber who dares to reach for the sky. Rest in peace, mountain man. You showed us all how to live life on the edge – and then some!
