Monday, June 25, 2007

Karel van Dijk 07/03/1984 - 24/06/2007


Today on the Dutch news I heard about climbers who died.

It turned out to be that it was Karel, he was climbing with his friend Jeroen Smit.

Cool Karel I met many times. Every time when there was something to do with students and climbing he was there. Like on the Dutch Student Championships, and also with the GSAC in Céüse.


d.d. Sunday June 24 2007, time 11:30.

Location: East side Klockerin (3425m), Glockner area Austria.

Karel and Jeroen slept in the Schwarzenberghütte refuge and left at 7:20 towards Klockerin.

They didn't take the normal route, (guide time 4 hours from refuge over Gruberscharte and south ridge) but took the south-east side a 'firn'wall with a big rocky ridge in the middle.

At 11:30 they were at about 150m under the ridge when above them a wet snow mass came loose. They were taken in the flood in which Karel got deadly injured. Jeroen was heavily injured and could alarm the rescue services.

Jeroen is now in 'Landeskrankenhaus' in Salzburg.

They both were expirienced alpinists. They were on rope.

The Austrian police estimates that they fell in between 100 and 200 metres.


Karel was a very happy, positive and enthausiastic person who was respected by all climbers.

Sometimes the mountains are too beautiful. Sometimes you want to hate them. But always respect them.


I wish all good to his family, friends, clumbing mates...


For more information, see this link for condoleances and more.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good post.