Famed climber dies on Nepal peak

Humar made his name by climbing difficult peaks alone

A renowned Slovenian mountaineer has been found dead in the Himalayas.

Tomaz Humar, 40, last contacted his base on Monday to say that he had been injured while climbing a peak in Nepal.

Viki Groselj, a fellow Slovenian mountaineer and friend of Mr Humar, told the Associated Press that he had broken his leg and become stranded.

The father-of-two, once rescued in a celebrated Pakistani air force mission, had been attempting to climb a 23,710ft (7,227m) peak, Langtang Lirung.

Subsequent rescue attempts were hampered by heavy snowfall.

Gerold Biner, flight operations manager for the Swiss Air Zermatt mountain rescue company, said his body was recovered early on Saturday by a three-man rescue team after it was spotted during an aerial search.

'Courageous'

Zimba Zangbu Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, paid tribute to the climber.

"The mountain that Humar was climbing, Langtang Lirung, is technically tough and not everyone dares climb it.

"Humar was courageous. We are very sorry to have lost such a world-renowned climber who had such a deep love for Nepal's mountains."

Humar made his name in the climbing world in 1999 with a solo ascent of the south face of Dhaulagiri, the world's seventh-highest mountain.

In 2005, he got trapped in the Himalayas on an icy ledge of Nanga Parbat mountain at about 6,000m during a solo climb.

Two Pakistani army helicopter pilots saved him and were later decorated with Slovenia's highest award for bravery.