Bill Denz
New Zealand mountain climber (1951 to 1983)
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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.
27 December 1951
- Free solo climbing
- Reputedly climbing the Machapuchare illegally in 1983
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 |
|
Early life
Mountain climbing
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 had become the first person ever to climb the Kusum Kanguru in Nepal.[11]
Death
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
- Paul Maxim, Bold beyond belief. Bill Denz. New Zealand´s Mountain Warrior. Wellington 2011.