Szilárd Suhajda
{{Short description|Hungarian mountaineer (1982–2023)}}
{{Eastern name order|Suhajda Szilárd}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Szilárd Suhajda
| native_name = Suhajda Szilárd
| native_name_lang = hu
| birth_date = June 29, 1982
| birth_place = Békéscsaba, Hungary
| disappeared_date = May 25–26, 2023
| disappeared_place = Mount Everest
| death_date = c. May 26, 2023 (aged 40)
| death_place = Mount Everest
| occupation = Mountaineer, English teacher
| years_active = 2007-2023
| known_for = First Hungarian summit of K2
| family = Suhajda
}}
Szilárd Suhajda (June 29, 1982 – disappeared May 25–26, 2023) was a Hungarian mountaineer known for his ascents of eight-thousanders without supplementary oxygen. During his climbing career, he successfully summited Broad Peak, K2 (solo), and Lhotse, and was lost during a solo climb on Mount Everest.
Climbing
Szilárd first began climbing with his grandfather. As a child, he went to hiking camp with his school spending weeks each summer sleeping in tents and exploring the mountains.{{Cite web |last=Pinter |first=László |date=February 26, 2019 |title=Suhajda Szilárd: egy angoltanár a Himalájában - 1. rész |url=https://www.mozgasvilag.hu/hegymaszas/hirek/suhajda-szilard-egy-angoltanar-a-himalajaban-1-resz |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.mozgasvilag.hu |language=hu}} Later he and fell in love with mountaineering after reading stories about István Benedek, Reinhold Messner and Emil Zsigmondy.{{Cite web |last=Megosztom |first=Vincze Szabolcs 2022 10 08 10:56:50 Frissítve: 2024 06 25 1:42:11 |date=2024-06-23 |title=Suhajda Szilárd: "A hegyen a siker legalább olyan fontos, mint az élmény" |url=https://www.csupasport.hu/hegymaszas/suhajda-szilard-nem-csak-ott-akarok-lenni-a-hegyen-a-siker-fontosabb-az-elmenynel-72282/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=CsupaSport |language=hu}} After his studies, he moved to Esztergom where he joined a climbing group, visiting the Carpathian Mountains, Transylvania and the Alps. After climbing Mont Blanc in 2007, he dedicated himself to the mountains.{{Cite web |date=2018-04-26 |title=Merni kell belevágni az új dolgokba |url=https://ujraterveztem.hu/suhajda-szilard-hegymaszo/ |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=Újraterveztem |language=hu}}
In the winter of 2008, he and a friend Csabi Kosztán were trapped in an avalanche in the Austrian Alps. The experience had a significant impact on him, later he recounted the dangerous situation was due to carelessness. Rather than dissuading him from climbing, it encouraged him to complete every climbing course available, encouraging him to improve his skills and become a more responsible climber.
In 2010, he gave up his job as an English teacher and moved to Brighton in England to earn enough money to fund his first climbing expedition in Asia.
= Himalayas =
After saving for two years and working seven days a week, Szilárd successfully funded his first climbing expedition in the Karakorum. The expedition was inexpensive, with Szilárd buying his down jacket secondhand on eBay to make things as affordable as possible. In 2012, he travelled to climb Gasherbrum I and II, but was unsuccessful. He then returned to Britain, working overtime for the next two years to fund his next trip.
In 2014 he returned to the Himalayas, successfully summitting Broad Peak, his first eight-thousander without supplementary oxygen.{{Cite web |title=EDGE 8000 Eseményhorizont |url=http://www.expeditions.hu/ki-kicsoda/suhajda-szilard |access-date=2019-08-01 |website=www.expeditions.hu |archive-date=2019-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813063503/http://expeditions.hu/ki-kicsoda/suhajda-szilard |url-status=dead }}
The next year, he made his first attempt at summitting K2, but had to abandon the attempt at 7,400 meters due to avalanche risk. In 2016, he made another unsuccessful attempt at the summit with the Johnnie Walker K2 Expedition.{{Cite web |title=Klein Dávid és Suhajda Szilárd elindult a K2 meghódítására |url=https://www.magyaridok.hu/belfold/klein-david-es-suhajda-szilard-elindult-k2-meghoditasara-751540/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=Magyar Idők |language=hu}}
== First Everest attempt ==
In 2016, he announced he would take part in the first Hungarian attempt to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen. His climbing partner for the expedition would be Dávid Klein, a mountaineer who had attempted Everest eight times previously, and whom had accompanied him on his previous expeditions to K2.{{Cite web |last=Pinter |first=László |date=November 11, 2016 |title=Újabb magyar expedíció indul az Everestre |url=https://www.mozgasvilag.hu/hegymaszas/hirek/ujabb-magyar-expedicio-indul-az-everestre |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.mozgasvilag.hu |language=hu}}
The self-financed Hungarian expedition set off in 2017. During the expedition, Szilárd fell ill while climbing Everest and had to abandon his summit attempt at 7,900m.{{Cite web |last=Erika |first=Mikóczy |title=Suhajda Szilárdnak fel kellett adnia, Klein Dávid folytatja |url=https://behir.hu/suhajda-szilardnak-fel-kellett-adnia-klein-david-folytatja |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=behir.hu |language=hu}}{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Himalayan Database Online |url=https://www.himalayandatabase.com/ |access-date=June 25, 2024 |website=The Himalayan Database |publication-place=Ann Arbor, Michigan}} At camp II, he began vomiting and was forced to come down the mountain. After suffering from stomach problems for three weeks, he lost 15 kilos.
In 2018, Szilárd attempted 8,080-metre Gasherbrum I and the 8,035-meter Gasherbrum II once again without supplemental oxygen or porters, but had to abandon his summit attempts due to poor weather.{{Cite web |last=behir.hu |title="A sírás határán vagyok" - kemény napok vannak Suhajda Szilárdék mögött |url=https://behir.hu/a-siras-hataran-vagyok-kemeny-napok-vannak-suhajda-szilardek-mogott |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=behir.hu |language=hu}} The failure of the expedition, coupled with the failure to summit on the previous Everest and K2 attempts, received criticism in Hungary.{{Cite web |last=Pinter |first=László |date=February 27, 2019 |title=Suhajda Szilárd: egy angoltanár a Himalájában - 2. rész |url=https://www.mozgasvilag.hu/hegymaszas/hirek/interju-suhajda-szilard-egy-angoltanar-a-himalajaban-2-resz |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.mozgasvilag.hu |language=hu}}
== ''Eseményhorizont'' ==
In 2019, as part of the Esemeny Horizont team, he became the first Hungarian to summit K2, doing so solo and without supplementary oxygen.{{Cite web |last=hvg.hu |date=2019-07-25 |title=Suhajda Szilárd feljutott a K2 csúcsára, Klein Dávid nem |url=https://hvg.hu/sport/20190725_Suhajda_Szilard_feljutott_a_K2_csucsara_Klein_David_nem |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230606205557/https://hvg.hu/sport/20190725_Suhajda_Szilard_feljutott_a_K2_csucsara_Klein_David_nem |archive-date=2023-06-06 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=hvg.hu/sport |language=hu}}{{Cite web |last=Kunos Gábor |date=2019-09-21 |title=Magyar K2 Expedíció 2019. A K2 magyar megmászásának (2019 nyár) elemzése |url=http://www.komarnicki.hu/page.php?141 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230606205321/http://www.komarnicki.hu/page.php?141 |archive-date=2023-06-06 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=Komarnicki Gyula Természetjáró és Hegymászó Sportegyesület THSE (komarnicki.hu) |language=hu}} It was his third attempt to climb K2, taking 15 hours to reach the summit from camp IV.{{Cite web |last=Shahid |first=Jamal |date=2019-08-03 |title=Hungarian duo recount their journey to K2 |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1497751 |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}} After the successful summit, Szilárd was able to quit teaching and devoted himself full time to planning expeditions, lecturing and guiding tours.
In 2021, he attempted Dhaulagiri I again alongside Dávid Klein, but had to abort his summit attempt at 7,600 m due to poor weather conditions.
= "Big Five" project =
After climbing with partner Dávid Klein for several years in 2022, he announced their Eseményhorizont project would end.{{Cite web |last=Pinter |first=Lazlo |date=January 24, 2022 |title=Az öt legmagasabb nyolcezres megmászását tűzte ki célul Suhajda Szilárd |url=https://www.mozgasvilag.hu/hegymaszas/hirek/suhajda-szilard-interju-cel-az-ot-legmagasabb-nyolcezres |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.mozgasvilag.hu |language=hu}} Szilárd instead would focus on summitting the remainder of the world's five highest peaks solo, Mount Everest, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu.{{Cite web |title=Suhajda Szilárd: Cél az öt legmagasabb nyolcezres |url=https://www.mozgasvilag.hu/hegymaszas/hirek/suhajda-szilard-interju-cel-az-ot-legmagasabb-nyolcezres |access-date=2022-01-24}}
Later that year, he successfully summitted Lhotse, solo and without supplementary oxygen.{{Cite web |last=Bereznay István |date=2022-05-16 |title=A világ negyedik legmagasabb csúcsát hódította meg egy magyar hegymászó |url=https://index.hu/sport/2022/05/16/suhajda-szilard-magyar-hegymaszo-himalaja-csucshoditas/ |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=index.hu |language=hu}}{{Cite web |date=2022-05-17 |title=Hungarian Mountaineer Szilárd Suhajda Climbs Fourth Highest Peak on Earth |url=https://hungarytoday.hu/hungarian-mountaineer-szilard-suhajda-fourth-highest-mountain-peak-lhotse-nepal/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=Hungary Today |language=en}} He was the third Hungarian to summit the world's fourth highest peak.{{Cite web |last=Pinter |first=László |title=Magyar siker a Lhocén - Suhajda Szilárd palackozott oxigén nélkül ért fel |url=https://www.mozgasvilag.hu/hegymaszas/hirek/suhajda-szilard-megmaszta-a-8516-meteres-lhocet |access-date=2024-06-25 |website=www.mozgasvilag.hu |language=hu}}
== Final climb ==
File:Hillary Step near Everest top (retouched).jpg
In May 2023, Szilárd launched the Kyocera Everest Expedition, in an attempt to solo climb Mount Everest.{{Cite web |last=Belák Tamás |date=2023-04-27 |title=Suhajda Szilárd túl van az első akklimatizációs körön |url=https://index.hu/sport/2023/04/27/suhajda-szilar-hegymaszas-hegymaszo-mount-everest/ |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=index.hu |language=hu}} He was not feeling well before the ascent, struggling with a deep cough and teary eyes. The day before leaving base camp, he wrote in his expedition journal about the attempt: "I'm scared, I'm happy, I'm excited, I'm waiting to get going and I'm waiting for landing: coming home! I can see in front of me the last meters leading to the summit. I can see my little boy running towards me at the airport!"{{Cite web |last=Benedek |first=Balizs |date=2023-05-26 |title="Félek, boldog vagyok, izgatott" – így indult útnak Suhajda Szilárd |url=https://index.hu/sport/2023/05/26/suhajda-szilard-mount-everest-naplo-betegseg-kohoges-felelem-boldogsag-izgatottsag/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=index.hu |language=hu}}
On May 21, he left base camp for his ascent, with a planned summit of May 24th. His summit attempt, as with his previous summits, was to be done without Sherpas or supplementary oxygen.{{Cite web |last=Tamás |first=Belák |date=2023-04-27 |title=Suhajda Szilárd túl van az első akklimatizációs körön |url=https://index.hu/sport/2023/04/27/suhajda-szilar-hegymaszas-hegymaszo-mount-everest/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=index.hu |language=hu}}
At 7:30am on May 24, he was pictured resting at the Balcony (8,400 m), surrounded by oxygen bottles discarded by other climbers.{{Cite web |last=Benavides |first=Angela |date=2023-06-02 |title=Last Photo: Fellow Climber Captures Final Glimpse of Suhajda Szilard's Everest Journey » Explorersweb |url=https://explorersweb.com/last-photo-suhajda-szilard/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=Explorersweb}} Hours later, climbing teams passed him on their descents, noting that Szilárd was continuing to move slowly to the summit.{{Cite web |last=Benavides |first=Angela |date=2023-05-26 |title=Everest: Rescuers Hurry Toward Suhajda Szilard » Explorersweb |url=https://explorersweb.com/everest-rescuers-hurry-suhajda-szilard/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=Explorersweb}} Hours later, radio contact with Szilárd was lost.{{Cite web |last=Tamás |first=Belák |date=2023-05-24 |title=Órák óta nem tudni, merre van Suhajda Szilárd, miközben besötétedett a Mount Everesten |url=https://index.hu/sport/2023/05/24/suhajda-szilard-mount-everest-eltunt-hegymaszo-csucs-gps/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=index.hu |language=hu}}{{Cite web |date=2023-05-24 |title=Suhajda Szilárd nyomkövetőjének utolsó jele az Everest csúcsa közeléből érkezett, azóta nem tudni a mászóról |url=https://telex.hu/sport/2023/05/25/suhajda-szilard-everest-nem-tudni-hol-van-jelado-serpa-segitseg-nyomkoveto |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=telex |language=hu}}{{Cite web |last=Belák Tamás |date=2023-05-24 |title=Órák óta nem tudni, merre van Suhajda Szilárd, miközben besötétedett a Mount Everesten |url=https://index.hu/sport/2023/05/24/suhajda-szilard-mount-everest-eltunt-hegymaszo-csucs-gps/ |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=index.hu |language=hu}} On the evening of May 25, word got back to Szilárd's team that a climber was lying unconscious at 8,780 meters, at the base of the Hillary Step.{{Cite web |last=Szabina |first=Molnár |date=2023-05-25 |title=Tudják, hol van Suhajda Szilárd – A realitást nézve nagyon kicsi az esélye, hogy életben találják |url=https://index.hu/sport/2023/05/25/suhajda-szilar-hegymaszas-eltunes-mount-everest/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=index.hu |language=hu}} {{Cite web |last=Benavides |first=Angela |date=2023-05-25 |title=Suhajda Szilard at Foot of Everest's Hillary Step, Barely Alive. He is Still Out There » Explorersweb |url=https://explorersweb.com/suhajda-szilard-everest-barely-alive/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=Explorersweb}} The climbing team found him alive, but suffering from frostbite and high altitude cerebral edema.{{Cite web |last=Miklós |first=Ilku |date=2023-05-26 |title=Suhajda Szilárd nem volt olyan állapotban, hogy segíteni tudjanak neki |url=https://index.hu/sport/2023/05/26/suhajda-szilard-hegymaszo-mount-everest-pinter-laszlo/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=index.hu |language=hu}} Based on the information from the team, a helicopter rescue was organized, and Sherpas quickly headed up the mountain to assist the descent.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-25 |title=Tudják, hol van Suhajda Szilárd, de kicsi az esélye, hogy még életben van |url=https://telex.hu/sport/2023/05/25/tudjak-hol-van-suhajda-szilard-de-kicsi-az-eselye-hogy-eletben-van-meg |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=telex |language=hu}}
The next day, after the rescue team could not find Szilárd, the search was called off.{{Cite web |title=Nem találták meg Suhajda Szilárdot, befejezik a keresését |date=27 May 2023 |url=https://telex.hu/sport/2023/05/27/suhajda-szilard-mount-everest-oxigen-nelkuli-maszas-hegymaszas |access-date=2023-05-27 |publisher=telex.hu}}{{Cite web |last=István |first=Ilku Miklós, Bereznay |date=2023-05-27 |title=Rendkívüli hír: nem találták meg Suhajda Szilárdot, feladták a keresést |url=https://index.hu/sport/2023/05/27/suhajda-szilard-eltunes-kozlemeny-mount-everest-hegymaszo/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=index.hu |language=hu}} The teams spent hours climbing between 8,750 meters where he was last seen and the 8,848-meter summit, but were unable to find any trace of him.{{Cite web |last=Benavides |first=Angela |date=2023-05-27 |title=It's Over: Searchers Can't Find Suhajda Szilard on Everest » Explorersweb |url=https://explorersweb.com/rescuers-cant-find-suhajda-szilard-everest/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=Explorersweb}}
In 2024, Sherpas cleaning Everest planned to bring down bodies from the mountain. Szilárd's wife, mountaineer Tímea Legindi, explicitly asked for his body to remain on the mountain.
After being sighted on the 25th, Szilárd's body has not been seen again.{{Cite web |last=Anikó |first=Domján |date=2024-04-26 |title=Suhajda Szilárd felesége: Nem szeretném, hogy a férjem testét lehozzák az Everestről |url=https://index.hu/sport/2024/04/26/suhajda-szilard-felesege-mount-everest-holttest/ |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=index.hu |language=hu}}
Notable ascents
; 8,000m summits without oxygen
- 2014: Broad Peak (8051 m){{Cite web |title=Sikerrel járt a magyar Himalája-expedíció |url=https://rtl.hu/rtlklub/hirek/belfold/videok/389619 |access-date=2019-08-01 |website=RTL.hu |language=hu-HU}}
- 2019: K2 (8611 m, the first Hungarian to do so)
- 2022: Lhotse (8516 m)
External links
- [https://explorersweb.com/last-photo-suhajda-szilard/ Last sighting of Szilárd at the Balcony on Everest]
Notes
{{reflist}}
Sources
- {{Cite web |last=Deme Dániel |date=2023-05-28 |title=Hopes Crushed in Search for Missing Climber on Mount Everest |url=https://hungarytoday.hu/hopes-crushed-in-search-for-missing-climber-on-mount-everest/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230606201350/https://hungarytoday.hu/hopes-crushed-in-search-for-missing-climber-on-mount-everest/ |archive-date=2023-06-06 |website=HungaryToday.hu |language=en}}
- {{Cite web |last=Angela Benavides |date=2023-06-02 |title=Last Photo: Fellow Climber Captures Final Glimpse of Suhajda Szilard's Everest Journey |url=https://explorersweb.com/last-photo-suhajda-szilard/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230606200031/https://explorersweb.com/last-photo-suhajda-szilard/ |archive-date=2023-06-06 |website=ExplorersWeb.com |language=en}}
Additional information
- {{Facebook|id=SuhajdaSzilardClimber}}
- {{Cite web |last=Alan Arnette |date=2023-05-25 |title=Everest 2023: Yet Another Death, Missing Not Found – Update Szilard Found. 2023 Deaths. Nepal RECORD Permit Update as of May 14, 2023 |url=https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2023/05/25/everest-2023-yet-another-death-missing-not-found/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230606204119/https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2023/05/25/everest-2023-yet-another-death-missing-not-found/ |archive-date=2023-06-06 |website=AlanArnette.com/blog |language=en}}
- {{Cite web |last=Dean (Nick) |date=2023-05-26 |title=Everest 2023. Szilard latest victim of Everest |url=http://everestmountain.co.uk/szilard-remains-on-the-missing-list |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230606203009/http://everestmountain.co.uk/szilard-remains-on-the-missing-list |archive-date=2023-06-06 |website=EverestMountain.co.uk |language=en}}
- {{Cite web |last=Stefan Nestler |date=2023-05-27 |title=Mount Everest: Suche nach Szilard Suhajda gestoppt / Search for Szilard Suhajda abandoned |url=https://abenteuer-berg.de/mount-everest-suche-nach-szilard-suhajda-gestoppt/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230606202221/https://abenteuer-berg.de/mount-everest-suche-nach-szilard-suhajda-gestoppt/ |archive-date=2023-06-06 |website=Abenteuer-Berg.de |language=de, en}}
{{Authority control}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Suhajda, Szilard}}
Category:Sports competitors who died in competition
Category:People from Esztergom
Category:People from Békéscsaba
Category:Hungarian mountain climbers