Luca Vuerich dies swept by an avalanche
In Prisojinik - Slovenia
22 January 2010 Without warning the morning of 22 January in Prisojinik, a fascinating harsh place just near Kraniska Gora, in Slovenia, not far from the Italian border, Luca Vuerich was killed. An Alpine Guide from Friuli, Luca was climbing one of the area’s waterfalls with a Slovenian friends, when he was swept down to the valley by a snow slide. His partner, the Slovenian Andrej Magagne, was unhurt and managed to raise the alarm. Rescuers came from Slovenia and Tarvisio, where Luca was one of the Mountain Rescue members. He was found in a critical condition and taken to Udine hospital. Unfortunately in the afternoon he died from his severe injuries. That this is a “anno horribilis” for climbers is just one reaction. The winter just begun has seen a series of tragic deaths: the two Friulani climbers Fabio Baron and Diego Andreatta, in Val Lasties, which Luca knew well. The same valley killed the 4 unselfish rescuers from the Val di Fiemme who were trying to rescue them. Let’s not go on. Luca Vuerich was born in Tarvisio in December 1975 and had started climbing when an adolescent. He very soon became a very good winter climber on waterfalls and shady faces. He was naturally talented and he easily climbed the toughest faces of the Alpi Giulie covered with snow and verglass. He’d conquered many of them, with an wide-ranging explorative approach, partticularly considering his young age, and was considered one of Italy’s best emerging alpinists. He excelled in several disciplines: long mixed routes, extreme waterfalls, high altitude and extreme skiing. Meeting Nives Meroi and Romano Benet, the 8000m-ers internationally held in high esteeem, was decisive for him. With them he went to the Himalayas, and climbed 5 peaks in clean style and attempted many others. Strong on all round, Luca was an all-round climber, but above all a modest man. ms Here, in Italian on Luca’s site, an engaging account of one of his last adventures in “his” mountains.
