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Tolo Calafat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Basque name, the first surname is Calafat and the second is Marcus.
Bartolomé “Tolo” Calafat Marcus
Born14 September 1970
Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Died29 April 2010 (2010-04-30) (aged 39)
Annapurna
Cause of deathExhaustion, edema
Resting placeAnnapurna, 7400 m
Occupation(s)Electrical engineer, alpinist
Years active2004-2010
Known forMountaineering
Children2

Bartolomé "Tolo" Calafat Marcus (17 September 1970 Palma de Mallorca — 29 April 2010, Annapurna) was a Spanish mountaineer. In his career, Calafat reached the summit of five eight-thousanders, Cho Oyu, Mount Everest, Broad Peak, Shishapangma and Annapurna. In 2010, Calafat died while descending Annapurna on an expedition led by Juanito Oiarzabal.

Biography

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Calafat grew up on Palma de Mallorca and worked as a telecommunications engineer.[1] He became involved in athletics at an early age, later moving to triathlons and helped initiate some of the early mountain racing competitions in Mallorca and the Baleric Islands.[2]

Mountaineering

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Calafat first began mountain climbing close to home on Mallorca's Serra de Tramuntana. Not long after he would climb in the Alps and then make expeditions to Argentina's Aconcagua and Peru's Cordillera Blanca.[2] In 2004, he first climbed in the Himalayas, successfully summiting Cho Oyo.[3] In 2006, he summited Mount Everest.[4] Calafat reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 18, 2006 with Juan Antonio Olivieri 'Oli', a fellow Baleric mountaineer. They would be the first from the Balerics to summit the world's highest peak.[5][6] Calafat would additionally make successful summits of Shishapangma and Broad Peak[7] before attempting his next eight-thousander, Annapurna.[1]

Annapurna, Calafat's final expedition

Final expedition

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In 2010, joined an expedition to Annapurna led by Basque mountaineer Juanito Oiarzabal.[8] After reaching the summit at 4:15pm on April 27, Calafat and his team were trapped 7,600m on the mountain by a blizzard when he became ill with cerebral edema.[9][8] Two members of his team managed to descend far enough to reach their high camp, but Calafat was unable to continue.[10] Calafat reached his team via radio, reportedly pleading, "For my children's sake, come and get me down from here".[11]

Calafat would remain exposed at altitude for the next two days, unable to move, as his team was unsuccessful at convincing sherpas to rescue him.[12] Sherpas had diverted to support Oh Eun-sun who was undertaking her final eight-thousander and were unwilling to assist Calafat off the mountain.[13] After reaching out to ground support for a helicopter assist, a high altitude rescue attempt was made, but delayed by the weather.[14][15][16] By the time a helicopter with doctor and mountaineer Jorge Egocheaga reached Calafat's position, it was too late, and he had been covered by snow and died.[17]

Due to the altitude, Calafat's body remained on Annapurna, at a elevation of 7,400m.[8][18] The remainder of Calafat's team was evacuated from the mountain by a Swiss rescue team helicopter that had originally come to Calafat's aid.[19]

Aftermath

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Calafat's death was widely reported in Spain and across Europe, due to the high profile of the expedition team, the similar circumstances of climber Ochoa de Olza's death two years previously,[20][21][22] and from increasing speculation over Oh Eun-sun's summit claim considering the weather on the mountain.[23] Controversy was further raised when one of the expedition team members, Carlos Pauner [es] indicated that Calafat himself was to blame for his death, due to not having enough strength to continue.[13]

Oiarzabal's expedition to Annapurna was documented by filmmaker Arancha Vega. In 2010, the firlm, "Annapurna" was released, which features Calafat's final climb.[24]

See also

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  • Iñaki Ochoa de Olza, Spanish climber who died in similar circumstances to Calafat on Annapurna two years prior

References

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  1. ^ a b Fernández, Fernando (2020-04-28). "10 años sin Tolo Calafat". Ultima Hora (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  2. ^ a b "IB3N | Deu anys sense Tolo Calafat" (in Catalan). Archived from the original on 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  3. ^ Nagore, Jorge (2010-04-29). "Perfil biográfico de 'Tolo' Calafat". Deia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  4. ^ "The Himalayan Database Online". The Himalayan Database. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  5. ^ "Everest y Dhaulagiri, coronados". Desnivel.com (in Spanish). 2006-05-04. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  6. ^ "Mallorca en el Everest, ¡esta vez sí!". Ultima Hora (in Spanish). 2006-03-08. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  7. ^ "Otoño caliente en Himalaya - Nivalis Sierra Nevada". Nevasport.com (in Spanish). 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  8. ^ a b c "Tolo Calafat, la mort à 7500 m d'altitude". www.libération.fr. 30 April 2010. Archived from the original on 3 May 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  9. ^ "La vida, al filo de lo imposible | Portada | elmundo.es". www.elmundo.es. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  10. ^ Edurne, Pasaban (2014-05-21). Tilting at Mountains: Love, Tragedy, and Triumph on the World's Highest Peaks. Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-1-59485-851-2.
  11. ^ "Spanish mountaineer dies in Nepal". 2010-04-29. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  12. ^ "Muere el montañero Tolo Calafat | Más Deporte | elmundo.es". www.elmundo.es. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  13. ^ a b Zaragoza, EFE (2010-05-06). "Pauner: 'Si hay algún culpable, es Tolo Calafat'". Diario de Mallorca (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  14. ^ "El equipo de rescate da por muerto en el Annapurna al montañero español Tolo Calafat". El País (in Spanish). 2010-04-29. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  15. ^ Sottocornola, Sara (2010-04-28). "Annapurna, soccorsi per Tolo Calafat". Montagna.TV (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  16. ^ "El rescate del montañero mallorquín Tolo Calafat se aplaza a mañana". Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera (in Spanish). 2010-04-28. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  17. ^ "Oiarzabal: 'La nieve lo ha sepultado esta noche'". www.elmundo.es. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  18. ^ 20minutos (2010-04-29). "La familia de Tolo Calafat desiste en su idea de rescatar el cuerpo del Annapurna". www.20minutos.es - Últimas Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "Carlos Pauner: El sherpa de Tolo nos dijo que no podía andar". Desnivel.com (in Spanish). 2010-04-28. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  20. ^ CERNUDA, OLALLA (2010-04-29). "Dan por muerto al montañero español Tolo Calafat en el Annapurna". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  21. ^ "Tolo Calafat hil egin da". Berria (in Basque). 2010-04-29. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  22. ^ "L'alpiniste espagnol Tolo Calafat est mort" (in French). 2010-04-29. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  23. ^ "New doubts over Korean Oh Eun-Sun's climbing record". BBC News. 2010-08-27. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  24. ^ "Tolo Calafat - Filmography - MNTNFILM". www.mntnfilm.com. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
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