The Canadian leader of an international mountaineering expedition has fallen to his death on Pakistan's K2 mountain, often considered the world's most difficult to climb.
Serge Dessureault, 53, had been a firefighter in Montreal for some three decades, confirmed Chris Ross, the president of the Montreal's firefighters association (Association des Pompiers de Montréal Inc.). He was captain of Station 19, located downtown.
Karrar Haidri, secretary of Alpine Club of Pakistan, said Dessureault died early Saturday while attempting to scale the 8,611-metre mountain in the Karakoram range in northern Pakistan.
Haidri said it wasn't immediately clear how Dessureault fell.
Dessureault was leading the nine-member K2-Broad Peak expedition up the mountain, which is extremely steep and attracts notoriously bad weather.
Haidri said Dessureault's body was brought to the mountain's advance base camp and would be transported to Islamabad.
Black Pyramid slope known for rock slides
Dessureault's climbing party had spent the night at a camp located 6,700 metres above sea level on the North Ridge, according to a Facebook page dedicated to the ascent of Dessureault, Maurice Beauséjour and Nathalie Fortin.
The party's aim was to head up to 7,000 metres to acclimatize before returning to base camp.
"Maybe they will be tempted to step into the very difficult Black Pyramid before going down?" says the Facebook post.
The page describes the Black Pyramid Pass as a steep, rocky and icy slope known for rock slides and ice falls. It is 400 metres long and requires "a lot of technical skills as it is on rock, snow and ice."
On Saturday morning, that same page announced Dessureault's death with "indescribable sadness," saying he fell near camp 2 and his body had been recovered.
The page does not announce any other injuries or deaths in the incident.
In a statement, Montreal's firefighters' association (L'Association des Pompiers de Montréal) said all 2,400 of Montreal's firefighters are stunned by the news of Dessureault's death.
"Serge had a reputation for being an experienced climber, very careful, always aware of the possible risks," the statement from the association's president, Chris Ross, reads.
He said Dessureault's passing is already creating an "unbearable void and incommensurable pain."
Remembered as 'happy' and 'courageous'
"I am really without words," said Dessureault's friend and fellow climber, François Guy Thivierge, holding back tears as he spoke with CBC News Saturday.
"It's a shock for all of his friends and family. I am very sad today."
Thivierge met Dessureault eight years ago on a volunteer trip to Haiti to assist the local people. Both men have sucessfully climbed Mount Everest, he said, and they bonded through their passion for mountains.
Thivierge described Dessureault as a happy man who was both courageous and generous. Dessureault was a well-trained athlete who participated in ultramarathons, he said.
François Guy Thivierge described Serge Dessureault as a dedicated athlete who was experienced and careful. (CBC News)
"Serge was a very smart guy with a big heart," he said. "He was a very extraordinary man."
With its ice and rock falls, climbing K2 is risky and Thivierge said he will not be adding the mountain to his bucket list any time soon. The mountain has claimed dozens of lives, with only a few hundred successful summits.
Dessureault knew the risks well, Thivierge said, but the fire captain was careful and experienced. It was not his first time on the mountain as his 2016 attempt to reach the top was thwarted by avalanches.
"We don't understand how this accident happened," he said. "We want to know more about how Serge fell."
A Montreal firefighter who fell to his death on Pakistan’s treacherous K2 mountain is being remembered as a passionate mountaineer whose courage and “unwavering spirit” propelled him to ascend the world’s highest peaks.
Serge Dessureault, 53, had been leading an international mountaineering expedition when he died early Saturday while attempting to scale the 8,611-metre peak in northern Pakistan, according to Karrar Haidri, secretary of Alpine Club of Pakistan. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fall.
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Yanick St-Martin, a fellow firefighter, said Dessureault had become a mentor to him after he expressed an interest in mountaineering.
He said Dessureault’s “enormous soul” and passion always shone through, whether he was fighting fires or climbing mountains.
“He showed great pride, a great compassion towards others and the sport, and he radiated courage all around him,” St-Martin said in a phone interview from the Rocky Mountains, where he’s training to attempt to climb Mount Everest next year.
He described Dessureault, who has previously summitted Everest, as a cautious climber who always advised him above all to remain alert to danger.
“He told me to take my time, and said it was always the mountain that had the last word,” he said.
St-Martin said it wasn’t always easy to explain why a climber would want to climb K2, which is among the world’s most difficult, dangerous peaks.
“It’s surpassing yourself, accomplishment, and what we forget is the spirituality behind it,” he said.
“It’s not just conquering a mountain, it’s conquering oneself.”
Dessureault had been a captain with Montreal’s fire department since 1990, according to the city’s firefighters’ association.
“The shock is all the greater among the firefighters since Serge was known to be an experienced mountain climber, very cautious, always aware of the possible risks at all times and never taking any unnecessary risk,” said Chris Ross president of the Montreal Firefighters Association.
Captain at Montréal Station 19. All my sympathies to the family and his co-workers. https://t.co/2AoEXgJ5xg — Chris Ross (@chrisvpross) July 7, 2018
The Montreal Fire Department also issued a statement praising the 28-year veteran as a “firefighter who was fully committed to serving the Montreal community.”
The department said it would offer support to Dessureault’s family, including his wife and children.
A Facebook page following the climb of Dessureault and two other climbers said Dessureault “took a fall near camp 2 at 6,700 metres” early Saturday.
Dessureault had been leading the nine-member “K2-Broad Peak” expedition up the mountain, which is extremely steep and attracts notoriously bad weather.
Claude Beausejour, whose brother Maurice Beausejour was with Dessureault on the mountain, told The Canadian Press in a phone interview that the other climbers were planning to end the expedition and return home.
“Both of them, my brother and Serge, are people who are very, very careful and they take no unnecessary risks. They calculate things well, they are excessively intelligent beings and they understand what they do and they are very careful,” he said, adding he did not yet know exactly what happened to cause the fall.
— with files from Felicia Parrillo and Justin Bulman
David Maher, CTVNews.ca Staff
A Quebec mountain climber fell to his death on Saturday while leading an international expedition on Pakistan’s K2, according to a representative of the Alpine Club of Pakistan.
Serge Dessureault was part of the nine-member K2 Broad Peak team at the time of his fall on the 8,611-metre mountain, said club secretary Karrar Haidri.
A message on the team’s Facebook page indicated the 53 year old fell near Camp 2, which sits at 6,700 metres, at 12:25 p.m. local time.
"All our sympathies go to Serge's family and loved ones," said Fortin on Facebook. "We're speechless."
The details of what led to his fall were not immediately available.
Dessureault’s friend Benoit Lamoureux was shocked when he heard the news.
“It’s devastating. Serge was a wonderful man,” he said during an interview with CTV News Channel. “First of all, his passion was his wife and his two daughters. He was a public person who helped charity and always gave his free time to help others. He was a great man, a man of passion in every aspect of his life.”
Dessureault and Lamoureux attempted the treacherous K2 ascent two years ago, but an avalanche at Camp 3 led to them cutting the trip short due to further safety concerns.
“Other than an accident, I can’t see what happened. Serge didn’t take any chances, he did nothing to be a hero,” Lamoureux explained. “Everytime you go on a mountain over 5,000 metres you know there’s always a risk. Serge knew the risk, the family knew the risk. But it’s still a shock when that happens.”
Lamoureux said his friend would want to remind people to enjoy life as much as possible.
“Passion for him started with his family. And by family I mean his family relatives, family of work, family of friends, family of climbers,” he said. “Today we lost a great man in every aspect of life and he would like us to remember to enjoy life as much as possible, every moment.”
Dessureault, a firefighter, leaves behind a wife and two daughters.
“He passed away doing something he loved. It doesn’t make the loss easier, but at least he was doing something he loved. He leaves behind a great family,” Lamoureux added.
Two other Quebecers, Maurice Beausejour and Nathalie Fortin, were also taking part in the expedition.
K2 is considered a difficult climb and is known for harsh weather conditions.
Haidri said Dessureault’s body was transported to base camp and will be taken to Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
With files from The Canadian Press.
MONTREAL—A Montreal firefighter who fell to his death on Pakistan’s treacherous K2 mountain is being remembered as a passionate mountaineer whose courage and “unwavering spirit” propelled him to ascend the world’s highest peaks. Serge Dessureault, 53, had been leading an international mountaineering expedition when he died early Saturday while attempting to scale the 8,611-metre peak in northern Pakistan, according to Karrar Haidri, secretary of Alpine Club of Pakistan.
Karrar Haidri, secretary of Alpine Club of Pakistan, said Saturday that mountaineer Serge Dessureault died early Saturday while attempting to scale the 8,611-meter mountain in northern Pakistan. ( Pakistan Tourism office/ The Associated Press )
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fall. Yanick St-Martin, a fellow firefighter, said Dessureault had become a mentor to him after he expressed an interest in mountaineering. He said Dessureault’s “enormous soul” and passion always shone through, whether he was fighting fires or climbing mountains.
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“He showed great pride, a great compassion towards others and the sport, and he radiated courage all around him,” St-Martin said in a phone interview from the Rocky Mountains, where he’s training to attempt to climb Mount Everest next year. He described Dessureault, who has previously summitted Everest, as a cautious climber who always advised him above all to remain alert to danger. “He told me to take my time, and said it was always the mountain that had the last word,” he said. St-Martin said it wasn’t always easy to explain why a climber would want to climb K2, which is among the world’s most difficult, dangerous peaks. “It’s surpassing yourself, accomplishment, and what we forget is the spirituality behind it,” he said. “It’s not just conquering a mountain, it’s conquering oneself.”
Dessureault had been a captain with Montreal’s fire department since 1990, according to the city’s firefighters’ association. “The shock is all the greater among the firefighters since Serge was known to be an experienced mountain climber, very cautious, always aware of the possible risks at all times and never taking any unnecessary risk,” president Chris Ross said in a statement.
Article Continued Below
The Montreal Fire Department also issued a statement praising the 28-year veteran as a “firefighter who was fully committed to serving the Montreal community.” The department said it would offer support to Dessureault’s family, including his wife and children. A Facebook page following the climb of Dessureault and two other climbers said Dessureault “took a fall near Camp 2 at 6,700 metres” early Saturday. Dessureault had been leading the nine-member “K2-Broad Peak” expedition up the mountain, which is extremely steep and attracts notoriously bad weather. Claude Beausejour, whose brother Maurice Beausejour was with Dessureault on the mountain, told The Canadian Press in a phone interview the other climbers were planning to end the expedition and return home. “Both of them, my brother and Serge, are people who are very, very careful and they take no unnecessary risks. They calculate things well, they are excessively intelligent beings and they understand what they do and they are very careful,” he said, adding he did not yet know exactly what happened to cause the fall. With files by The Associated Press
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