Jan Kerhart

Frenchman Eric Escoffier was considered at the time one of the top 10 climbers in the world. After a serious accident near Chamonix that left him semi paralyzed, he promised himself to resume his activity even though the doctors had predicted that he could no longer walk. Eric overcame all difficulties and in 1997 he climbed the Cho Oyu the first 8000 after the accident, with obvious walking problems. In July 1998 he was back in the Himalayas for an attempt at the Broad Peak. Eric keeps a diary at base camp and the last page is dedicated to his partner Cecile, pregnant at the seventh month that awaits him in France. Eric and his partner Pascale Bessiere disappear under the summit and are never found again. Escoffier was 38.