On December 28 1999, a group of three mountaineers disappeared while descending after having reached the summit of Orizaba peak. They were
Searching efforts by three other members of the team, and a group of experienced Austrian mountaineers were soon joined by the rescue effort mounted by US Embassy in Mexico and Mexican authorities. The rescuers from the US First Response Rescue Group were on their way too...
The bodies were discovered by a helicopter crew on January 3rd 2000.
According to the trip description, they veered off the routine path close to the high camp and slipped on a steep icy slope where self-arrest (stoping) can sometimes be extremely difficult. At high speed they hit the rocks below the snow line. Autopsies confirmed instant death. Our earlier report about it being dark at the time was inaccurate.
Irina Libova, a biology graduate student from MIT is survived by her parents and sister in Mountain View, California. Vladimir Smirnov, a web developer and programmer from Boston, Massachusetts, is survived by his mother and sister in Russian Federation. Ilya Krasik, a mechanical engineer from Boston, Massachusetts is survived by his parents, daughter and son, and a brother.
Our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences go to the families and other friends of the deceased.
We all would like to thank
Irina and Vladimir
will be buried on Friday, January 14 in Palo Alto, CA, where Irina's family resides, at 2 pm. Ilya's funeral is planned for Sunday, January 9 at 11 am in Stanetsky memorial chapel on Beacon St near Washington St in Brookline, MA. Please contact hq+funerals@blackalpinist.com if you wish to attend and need accomodations.Friends of the fallen
mountaineers have established a memorial fund account to cover the
costs of a monument, rescue efforts and to support the families of the
deceased. Any donations are greatly appreciated.
Wells Fargo Bank 1202 E.Arques Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 account # 62429-32192 routing # 121000248 (corrected) SWIFT CODE: WFBIUS6S Owner: Irina ZaksIn the US, send checks or money orders to
Irina Zaks 1143 Carver Pl., Mountain View, CA 94040 | or | Olga Libova 1527 Miramonte Ave, Mountain View, CA 94040 |
Eugene Prosso Bank Leumi, division (snif) 948 Foreign currency account 20118/65, Israel currency account 20118/45 Phone number: 053-263974If you'd like your donation to be spent on something in particular, please, indicate so on your check and/or follow-up by e-mail to Lev Gorenstein.
Please note that, for most part, the reports related to the accident by the wire services were, unfortunately, extremely inaccurate. Please refer to http://blackalpinist.com for accurate information.