Bill Denz
Bill Denz | |
|---|---|
| Born | Matthew William Denz 27 December 1951 Surrey, England |
| Died | 3 October 1983 (aged 31) Makalu, Nepal |
Cause of death | Falling, due to an avalanche |
| Known for |
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Bill Denz, formally Matthew William Denz,[1] (27 December 1951 – 3 October 1983) was a mountain climber from New Zealand, famous for his free solo climbing and reputed climbing of the Machapuchare illegally in 1983.
Early life
[edit]Denz was born on 27 September 1951 in Surrey, England. However, at the age of 2, his family decided to move to New Zealand in 1953,[1] which led to him growing up in Dunedin, where he began his climbing journey. He reached his first successes when climbing the area around Mount Cook in 1970.[2]
Mountain climbing
[edit]Denz had become somewhat famous due to his effective ways of climbing the harsh routes in the Southern Alps, Darran Mountains and Patagonia.[3] He was described as a free solo climber, who loved mountains that hadn't been climbed, would refuse to choose easy routes, and who would ice climb in harsh areas.[4][5]
One of his friends, Philipp Herron, died when climbing the Cerro Torre with him.[6] Due to his friend's death and the extremely harsh environment, Denz would only manage to climb the finale rime mushroom twice, instead of the summit.[7]
According to unconfirmed sources, Denz reputedly climbed the Machapuchare in Nepal illegally in either 1973[8] or 1983. Due to his death in 1983, it is still uncertain whether the story is true.[9][4] He had also tried illegally climbing the Melungtse in Tibet.[7][10]
In 1981, Denz became the first person ever to climb the Kusum Kanguru in Nepal.[11]
Death
[edit]Bill Denz died on 3 October 1983 due to an avalanche, when climbing Makalu with his friends Peter Hillary, Mark Moorhead and Fred From. Moorhead and From had reached a height of 7,600 metres (24,900 ft), but Moorhead died on 15 October, when he fell while getting back down.[12][3][13]
Literature
[edit]- Paul Maxim, Bold beyond belief. Bill Denz. New Zealand´s Mountain Warrior. Wellington 2011.
References
[edit]- 1 2 New Zealand Alpine Journal. New Zealand Alpine Club. 1991.
- ↑ Bob Mckerrow-Wayfarer (18 January 2012). "Bob McKerrow - Wayfarer: Bill Denz - the coffee jar and Vern Leader". Bob McKerrow - Wayfarer. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- 1 2 Himalayan Dreaming: Australian mountaineering in the great ranges of Asia, 1922-1990. The Australian National University E-Press. 2010. pp. 346, 558.
- 1 2 Notes from Nepal. Notion Press. 5 November 2020. ISBN 978-1-64951-806-4.
- ↑ The Alpine Journal. Vol. 91. Alpine Club. 1986. p. 133.
- ↑ Patagonien: Von Horizont zu Horizont. Piper ebooks. 12 October 2020. ISBN 978-3-492-99787-4.
- 1 2 Postcards from the Ledge: Collected Mountaineering Writings of Greg Child. The Mountaineers Books. 2 October 2012. ISBN 978-1-59485-355-5.
- ↑ India and Nepal – Truth is Stranger Than Fiction. A Himalayan Adventure 1984. Books on Demand. 2016. p. 105.
- ↑ Annapurna Treks. Bergverlag Rother. 2020. p. 218.
- ↑ Mixed Emotions: Mountaineering Writings of Greg Child. The Mountaineers Books. 21 August 2012. ISBN 978-1-59485-314-2.
- ↑ Insight Guides Nepal (Travel Guide eBook). Rough Guides UK. 1 December 2017. ISBN 978-1-78671-853-2.
- ↑ "Erstbesteiger Detail". Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ↑ In the Ghost Country: A Lifetime Spent on the Edge. Simon and Schuster. 30 December 2003. ISBN 978-0-7432-4369-8.