Marty Schmidt

For the German judoka, see Martin Schmidt.

Martin Walter Schmidt (c.June 10, 1960 – July 27, 2013)[1] was a New Zealand-American mountain climber and guide.

Biography

Martin Walter Schmidt was born in Lodi, California on June 10, 1960, of German/American parents. He attended Castro Valley High School in Castro Valley, California. He began climbing as a child, mostly in the Sierra Nevada range, and moved there after finishing high school in 1978. At the age of 20, Marty joined the United States Air Force and served in United States Air Force Pararescue unit known as the "PJs". As a USAF airman he served in a number of posts including the Philippines, where he earned the USAF Air Medal in 1984, for his rescues in a hotel fire, and in Alaska, where he first climbed Mount McKinley (Denali) in 1983.[2]

Marty Schmidt moved to Australia with his wife, Joanne Munisteri, after his first ascent of Aconcagua in Argentina, in February 1988. Their first child, a son they named Denali, was born in Macksville, NSW, in April 1988. In November, 1988, the family traveled and climbed in the USA, Switzerland,Italy, France and New Zealand. They moved to Havelock North, New Zealand, in 1989,where Marty started his first company, MSIG (Marty Schmidt International Guiding). Their daughter, Sequoia, was born in Napier, New Zealand in January, 1991. His first attempt at K-2 was in 1992. In 1993, the family moved to Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch served as the base for MSIG since Marty made year-round climbing trips as a solo climber and mountain guide around New Zealand. Marty guided yearly trips to Argentina, Alaska and Europe as well as to the Himalayas. In 1994, the Schmidt family was granted New Zealand citizenship (based on his wife Joanne's work with the National Maori Dance Company, Kahurangi). At the end of 1994, the entire family relocated back to NSW, Australia for the next 4 years where MSIG was then based. In 1998, Marty and his family moved to Texas, and then to Colorado, USA. After their divorce became finalized, Joanne returned to New Zealand with Denali and Sequoia. Marty followed in December 2001, and kept New Zealand as his home base throughout the rest of his life.

Professional Accomplishments

Marty climbed and guided in the mountains of Europe, South America, Africa and the Himalayas. .[1][3] In the Himalayas,Marty Schmidt attempted to climb Mount Everest in 1994 and 2008. He summited Kangchenjunga in 2001, and summited Cho Oyu in 2001, 2004 and 2009. In the Karakoram, he made unsuccessful attempts on K2 in 1992 and 2000, and summited Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II in 2010.[3] In the 2010 Himalayan climbing season, Schmidt became the third New Zealander to summit Makalu and the first to do so without bottled oxygen. Marty summitted Ama Dablam Ama Dablam and attempted Lhotse in the same season.[3] Marty was a member of the American Alpine Guides and became a member of the New Zealand Alpine guides in 2003.

Marty Schmidt led two successful expeditions to Mount Everest as a guide, for the Canada-based guiding company Peak Freaks in 2012 and 2013. In 2012, he became the oldest New Zealander to summit Everest, at the age of 51.[1] He summited Everest again in May 2013, before joining an expedition to K2 in July 2013, to climb the mountain with his 25-year-old son, Denali Schmidt.[1] Father and son first created a new route on Mt. McKinley(Denali) in 2011. http://aaj.americanalpineclub.org/climbs-and-expeditions/north-america/alaska/denali-national-park/2011-denali-lower-southwest-face-dad-and-son-by-marty-schmidt-new-zealand/ In 2013, Marty and Denali Schmidt summited Broad Peak, an 8,000 meter peak before attempting to summit K-2. They climbed toward K2's Camp 3, but went missing after an avalanche hit their camp on 26 July; Schmidt's daughter, Sequoia, confirmed their deaths via Twitter on 29 July.[1][4]

Marty Schmidt climbed and guided clients on all of the Seven Summits—the highest mountains on each continent—and climbed five of the world's 14 8,000 metre peaks.[1][5] Throughout his career, he climbed Denali 27 times, Aconcagua 32 times, Aoraki / Mount Cook 19 times, Mount Aspiring / Tititea 16 times, and Mount Tasman five times.[3]

Personal life

Schmidt had two children with his first wife, Joanne Munisteri: a son, Denali (born on April 27, 1988 in Macksville, Australia) and a daughter, Sequoia, (born January 1, 1991 in Napier, New Zealand). They divorced by 2000. He later married Giovannina Cantale, in 2007, in Christchurch, NZ.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "K2 avalanche: father and son killed". The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 July 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  2. ↑ Talajkowski, Matt (9 April 2013). "Alum Marty Schmidt shares his climbing experience". The Castro Valley High School Olympian. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Hersey, Paul (Autumn 2011). "Marty Schmidt". The Climber. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Schwartz, Dominique (30 July 2013). "New Zealand mountain climbers Martin and Denali Schmidt believed killed in avalanche on Pakistan's K2". ABC News. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  5. ↑ Mead, Thomas (30 July 2013). "Tributes flow for missing climber Marty Schmidt". 3 News. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  6. ↑ Stewart, Ashleigh (17 August 2013). "K2 climbers' bodies may not be recovered". The Press. Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 20 April 2014.

http://aaj.americanalpineclub.org/climbs-and-expeditions/north-america/alaska/denali-national-park/2011-denali-lower-southwest-face-dad-and-son-by-marty-schmidt-new-zealand/