Climbing
A rock slide struck and killed a climber at Laila Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram range on Monday, July 28. The climber was identified by her media team as former Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier. The 31-year-old German athlete was descending from the peak with her partner and the duo were at approximately 5,700 meters (18,700 feet) when the accident occurred around noon on Monday.
Her climbing partner, who was unharmed, immediately sent out a distress signal. Her partner tried to reach Dahlmeier but the difficult terrain and continued rockfall made reaching her impossible. As the climbing partner could not discern any signs of life, she decided to descend in the evening for her own safety.
A helicopter reached the area the following morning, July 29, but poor weather conditions prevented a landing. “The mountain rescue team has been coordinating the rescue since then,” her management wrote in a statement Tuesday, adding that experienced international climbers in the region were also supporting the effort. Rescue attempts had to be halted when night fell on Tuesday. The press release by the media team stated that “signs of life were not recognizable” during the fly-over by the helicopter rescue team.
Rescue efforts were supposed to continue on Wednesday, July 30, by three unidentified American climbers and well-known German climber Thomas Huber, but were deemed too risky due to increasingly bad weather and continued rockfall. Since it was Dahlmeier’s express wish to not have anyone risk their life in case of her death to retrieve her body, her management team called off all rescue efforts.
Dahlmeier’s family requested that Laura’s desire to remain in the mountains in the case of her death be honored. The family thanked all rescue workers as well as the climbers in the area who rushed to aid. “We bid farewell to an amazing human. Laura enriched our and other people’ lives with her warm and honest nature. She showed us that it is worthwhile to stand up for your dreams and goals and to remain true to yourself. We are grateful to have had Laura in our lives. Our shared memories give us the power and courage to carry on.”
Dahlmeier had been in Pakistan since early July and had previously summited the Great Trango Tower—a 6,287-meter (20,627-foot) technical granite spire in the same mountain range. Laila Peak, a dramatic 6,096-meter (20,000-foot) pyramid, was the second goal of the expedition, organized with Shipton Treks and Tours. The company shared pictures of Dahlmeier’s and her partner’s arrival in Pakistan on social media.
Dahlmeier, born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, was one of Germany’s most decorated winter athletes, with two Olympic Gold medals from Pyeongchang 2018 and seven World Championship titles. She retired from biathlon in 2019, but continued to embrace high alpine pursuits. She later became a certified mountain and ski guide, a sports scientist, and a regular commentator for German television during biathlon season.
Mountain sports had long been central to her life—her mother was a pro mountain biker while her dad was a skier and mountaineer. This expedition to Pakistan was not her first high-alpine adventure. In 2024, Dahlmeier climbed Ama Dablam (6,814 meters/22,356 feet) in Nepal twice in only three days. In her second ascent, she reached the summit in 8 hours and 24 minutes, the fastest known ascent of Ama Dablam by a woman. Dahlmeier knows the risks of high alpine mountaineering intimately. In 2022, her ex-boyfriend, Robert Grasegger, died in an avalanche in Patagonia.
May she rest in peace.
