Where is the world’s biggest ski vertical? You might imagine Everest or perhaps somewhere amongst the high mountain of Peru. Two Austrian skiers from Kitzbühel, Axel Naglich et Peter Ressmann have just skied Mont Saint Elias, in Alaska. At 5489 meters altitude it is far from the highest mountain in the world, it is not even the highest summit in Alaska. That honour goes to 6193 meter Denali (Mt McKinley). However you can ski from the summit to sea level, over 5km of challenging vertical. Mount Everest can only muster 3,448 meters of lung busting descent to base camp.
The descent is challenging. The slope flirts with 60 degrees and is icy and heavily crevassed in places. The summit is rarely climbed due to harsh weather conditions; Naglich and Ressmann were the first to summit in 5 years. An American ski team had already perished attempting the summit, their bodies entombed in the ever shifting icescape. The two Austrians were accompanied renowned cameraman Gerald Salmina and a documentary film is expected soon.
Première descente à skis de la plus longue piste du monde - brief description in French with pictures.
source: http://pistehors.com/news
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