Rick Allen Dies on K2

Scottish climber Rick Allen has died on K2 while trying to open a new route on the peak’s Southeast Face, according to sources in Base Camp. His two climbing partners, Jordi Tosas of Spain and Stephan Keck of Austria are unharmed. Allen died in an avalanche.

Rick Allen was a highly experienced climber, an advocate of pure alpine style in high-altitude mountaineering. He and Sandy Allan made the first complete ascent of Nanga Parbat’s Mazeno Ridge in 2012, which earned the pair a Piolet d’Or.

In 2017, he, Adam Bielecki, and Felix Berg attempted a new route on Annapurna. In 2018, while on a summit push up Broad Peak, he became lost in poor visibility. He was later located thanks to the drones that were in the area to film Andrzej Bargiel’s ski descent of K2.