Marco Siffredi – The disappearance

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Marco Siffredi is the worlds first to descend Mount Everest on a snowboard. In 2001 he chose the Norton Couloir at the left side of the north face. He disappeared in 2002 after making his second successful Everest summit – accompanied by the three Sherpa among them Phurba Tashi – while attempting to snowboard the Hornbein Couloir, at the right face of the north face. Both expeditions where organized by Russel Brice.

He is one of the dead bodies on Everest.

Marco Siffredi was only 22 when he died, but he was already the most famous free rider of his time. He lived in Chamonix in France which means that he was used to snow and ice. He rode his snowboard down the steepest and highest faces all over the world. At up to 60-degrees incline. With super high speed.

Marco was not the first to dare such an adventure. But he was the coolest.

• People say, that the Japanses Yuichiro Miura skied down Mt Everest first in 1970 when he started from South Col – almost 900 meters below the summit. But Yuichiro Miura basically has done this like a skydiver using a parachute to slow down his fall.
• Also, Davorin Karnicar is seen as the first men skiing down from the top. That may be.
• Stefan Gantt sees himself as the first to use a Snowboard from the top. But he walked for several hundred meters.

This painting is part of the set Legends of Mount Everest with more portraits of climbers. Click for an extensive description.