Hannelore Schmatz

Who was Hannelore Schmatz?

Hannelore Schmatz was a German mountaineer. She collapsed and died on October 2, 1979 as she was returning from successfully summiting Mount Everest via the southern route, the first woman and first German citizen to die on the upper slopes of Everest.

Schmatz was on an expedition via the South East Ridge route with her husband when she died at 8,300 metres. Gerhard Schmatz was the expedition leader, 50 years of age at the time and the oldest man to summit Everest. On the same expedition was the American Ray Genet, who also died while descending from the summit. Exhausted from the climb, they had stopped to bivouac as the night approached, despite the fact that their Sherpa guides had urged them not to. Sungdare Sherpa, one of her Sherpa companions, remained with her after she died, and as a result, lost most of his fingers and toes.

Genet's body disappeared under the snow, but Schmatz's body was swept further down the mountain.

For years, Schmatz's remains could be seen by anyone attempting to summit Everest by the southern route. Her body was frozen in a sitting position, leaning against her pack with her eyes open and her hair blowing in the wind, about 100 metres above Camp IV.