Rolf Bae

Rolf Bae (January 9, 1975 – August 1, 2008) was a Norwegian Arctic adventurer and mountaineer. Bae operated an adventure company called Fram,^[1] specializing in Arctic and Antarctic travel and survival courses.

He was married to Cecilie Skog, the first woman to complete the Explorers Grand Slam. She has climbed the highest mountains of every continent (the Seven summits) in addition to reaching the South Pole and North Pole.

In 2000/2001, Bae crossed Antarctica with fellow explorer Eirik Sønneland,^[2][3] completing what was then the world's longest ski journey, 3800 km long, taking 105 days to complete; the record was beaten by Rune Gjeldnes in 2006.

On December 27, 2005, he arrived at the South Pole,^[4] after skiing from the ice shelf, and on April 24, 2006, he reached the North Pole unsupported,^[5] both expeditions together with Cecilie Skog.

In 2008, Bae together with Stein-Ivar Gravdal, Bjarte Bø and Sigurd Felde reached the top of Great Trango Tower (6286 m) in Karakoram, Pakistan, via the "Norwegian Buttress" (VII 5.10+ A4). The team spent 27 days ascending and 30 hours descending the peak. This was the second complete ascent via this route.^[6]

The K2 accident

Rolf Bae died on August 1, 2008, in a climbing accident while taking part in an international expedition on K2 mountain in the Karakoram, Pakistan.^[7] Bae's wife Cecilie reportedly saw her husband swept off the mountain during an ice fall accident.^[8]

Bae was a friend and teammate of Gerard McDonnell, the first Irishman to summit K2. Both men died within hours of each other in separate avalanches.

References