Rolf Bae
Encyclopedia
Rolf Bae was a Norwegian
Arctic adventurer and mountaineer
. Bae operated an adventure company called Fram, specializing in Arctic and Antarctic travel and survival courses.
He was married to Cecilie Skog
, the first woman to complete the Explorers Grand Slam
. She has climbed the highest mountains of every continent
(the Seven summits
) in addition to reaching the South Pole
and North Pole
.
In 2000/2001, Bae crossed the Antarctica with fellow explorer Eirik Sønneland, completing what was then the world's longest ski journey, 3800 km long, taking 105 days to complete; the record was beaten by Rune Gjeldnes
in 2006.
On December 27, 2005, he arrived at the South Pole, after skiing from the ice shelf, and on April 24, 2006, he reached the North Pole unsupported, both expeditions together with Cecilie Skog.
In 2008, Bae together with Stein Ivar Gravdal, Bjarte Bø and Sigurd Felde reached the top of Great Trango Tower (6286 m) in Karakoram
, Pakistan
, via the "Norwegian Buttress" (VII 5.10+ A4). The team spent 27 days ascending and 30 hours descending the peak. This was the second complete ascent via this route.
in the Himalayas
. Bae's wife Cecilie reportedly saw her husband swept off the mountain during an ice fall accident.
Bae was a friend and teammate of Gerard McDonnell, the first Irishman to summit K2. Both men died within hours of each other in separate avalanches.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Arctic adventurer and mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
. Bae operated an adventure company called Fram, specializing in Arctic and Antarctic travel and survival courses.
He was married to Cecilie Skog
Cecilie Skog
Cecilie Skog is a Norwegian adventurer from Ålesund. She studied and worked as a nurse, but since summiting Mount Everest in 2004, she has worked as a professional adventurer, guide and lecturer.In August 2008 she climbed K2...
, the first woman to complete the Explorers Grand Slam
Explorers Grand Slam
The Explorers Grand Slam or Adventurers Grand Slam is an adventurers challenge to reach the North Pole, the South Pole and all of the Seven Summits....
. She has climbed the highest mountains of every continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
(the Seven summits
Seven Summits
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Summiting all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first postulated as such and achieved on April 30, 1985 by Richard Bass .-Definition:...
) in addition to reaching the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
and North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
.
In 2000/2001, Bae crossed the Antarctica with fellow explorer Eirik Sønneland, completing what was then the world's longest ski journey, 3800 km long, taking 105 days to complete; the record was beaten by Rune Gjeldnes
Rune Gjeldnes
Rune Gjeldnes is a Norwegian adventurer. He completed his military education in 1992, where he met fellow adventurer-to-be Torry Larsen, also of Møre og Romsdal. Gjeldnes served in the Norwegian Naval Special Operations Command until 1997.-Expeditions:Together with Torry Larsen, Rune Gjeldnes...
in 2006.
On December 27, 2005, he arrived at the South Pole, after skiing from the ice shelf, and on April 24, 2006, he reached the North Pole unsupported, both expeditions together with Cecilie Skog.
In 2008, Bae together with Stein Ivar Gravdal, Bjarte Bø and Sigurd Felde reached the top of Great Trango Tower (6286 m) in Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, via the "Norwegian Buttress" (VII 5.10+ A4). The team spent 27 days ascending and 30 hours descending the peak. This was the second complete ascent via this route.
The K2 accident
Rolf Bae died on August 1, 2008, in a climbing accident while taking part in an international expedition on K2 mountainK2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. Bae's wife Cecilie reportedly saw her husband swept off the mountain during an ice fall accident.
Bae was a friend and teammate of Gerard McDonnell, the first Irishman to summit K2. Both men died within hours of each other in separate avalanches.