Swedish Extreme Skier Plans Ski Descent of K2
Follow Progress of Fredrik Ericsson in Bid To Ski K2 in Pakistan
If 34 year-old Fredrik Ericsson of Sweden skis successfully from the top of K2, he will be the first person to complete a ski descent of the second highest mountain in the world. And then, Ericsson's adventures will have only just begun.
Fredrik Ericsson's Background
Fredrik Ericsson, who calls himself an adventurer; is a Swedish born professional skier and mountaineer based in Chamonix, France. He grew up in Umeå in northern Sweden experiencing long winters and plenty of snow in the back yard. Although he began skiing at the tender age of 4, it took another 14 years before he came to realize that skiing was his greatest passion. Fredrik worked as a ski instructor in Oppdal, Norway for two seasons before he left Scandinavia and spent winters in Queenstown, New Zealand and Fernie, Canada. In 2000 Fredrik came to Chamonix where he found the perfect adventure playground for pursuing all his interests: skiing, climbing and mountain biking.
Fredrik Ericsson's Himalayan Skiing Experience
Fredrik is no stranger to skiing above 8000 meters in the so called ‘death zone’. He began expedition ski mountaineering in 2003 and has been visiting remote peaks almost every year since. These expeditions have included skiing from the top of Shishapangma's Central Summit 8013 meters (26,289 feet) and from Gasherbrum II which tops out over the 8000 meter mark. Though unsuccessful in reaching the summits Fredrik has also been to Dhaulagiri where he reached 8000 meters before he was forced to turn back only 160 meters shy of the top. From Kanshenjunga, Fredrik was turned away from his goal by storms and in the middle of this year he made it to 7000 meters on K2.
Fredrik Ericsson's Sponsors
Fredrik funds his trips through sponsors. His sponsors include:
Fredrik is actively involved in photo shoots for sponsors of equipment and clothing (for advertising especially catalogues and magazines). In between Himalayan expeditions he travels to mountain resorts for photos and filming to provide articles for magazines and images for lectures that he gives, typically held at ski camps. Read more about Fredrik's preparation towards Himalayan skiing in a related article.
Fredrik Ericsson's K2 Expedition 2010
In June 2010 Fredrik plans to head to K2 Pakistan to climb and ski the first mountain in his trilogy of Himalayan peaks. His schedule however, doesn't end there. After a month at home in Chamonix, Fredrik will set off for Tibet to climb and ski Everest from the North side. If all goes well he will continue on to Nepal to make an attempt on Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest peak. It is possible to follow Fredrik's preparations and skiing expeditions on his website blog, fredrikericsson.com.
Skiing off the world’s highest mountains is no easy task and Fredrik has had his fare share of setbacks. When asked by Suite101 how he overcomes these obstacles and stays motivated; Fredrik says,
“The expeditions where I haven’t reached the summit is not so bad, it’s still a really good experience. It just gives me more inspiration to go there again and really try to finish it off. But the accident was worse . . .”
The accident Fredrik referred to was the tragic death of his skiing partner and good friend Michele Fait during their expedition on K2 in June 2009. Recognizing his friend's demise as an accident, driven on by passion, Fredrik has resolved to continue his pursuit to ski off the three highest mountains in the world.
Read more articles in this series about professional skiers.
Fredrik Ericsson Swedish Extreme Skier
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