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Quebec Climber Serge Dessureault Dies on K2

Serge Dessureault

Quebec climber Serge Dessureault, 53, has fallen to his death while climbing on 8,611-metre K2 in the Karakoram range in northern Pakistan.

Dessureault was the leader of a nine-member international team that had planned to climb both K2 and Broad Peak.

Dessureault was one of four climbers, Nathalie Fortin, Benoît Lamoureux and Maurice Beauséjour, from Quebec who were hoping to become the first climbers from the province to reach the summit of the world’s second highest mountain.

A message posted on the team’s Facebook page on July 7 rea, “Dessureault fell near Camp 2, just below House’s Chimney, at approximately 6,700 m.”

Karrar Haidri, secretary of Alpine Club of Pakistan, said Dessureault died on Saturday. Haidri said it wasn’t immediately clear how Dessureault fell that his body was recovered.

He spent Friday night at camp two and was heading to base camp when he fell.

Garett Madison of the K2 Madison Mountaineering expedition suggested the accident might be the result of an old fixed rope breaking.

Dessureault attempted K2 in 2016, but cancelled the attempt after an avalanche. The weather this year looks better than past years.

The Montreal firefighter was the president of Association des Pompiers de Montréal Inc. (Montreal’s firefighters association) and was the captain of Station 19.

In a statement, L’Association des Pompiers de Montréal’s president Chris Ross wrote, “Serge had a reputation for being an experienced climber, very careful, always aware of the possible risks.”

Our condolences to the family and friends of Dessureault and we hope everyone in the expedition has a safe remained or their climb or return home.

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