Christine Boskoff
Encyclopedia
Christine Boskoff was an American mountaineer
.
degree to work for Lockheed Aeronautical Systems
in Atlanta, Georgia
. There she was the team leader for a group that designed software for a lighted control display for the C-130J military cargo plane.
ing was a two-day climbing course in 1993; within a very short time she was climbing technical high-altitude peaks. Her first major summit was Tariji in the Bolivian Andes
. Following this climb she began organizing climbing expeditions to Africa
, Mexico
, Europe
, and North America
. Climbing with her husband Keith Boskoff, in 1997 Christine Boskoff became the first North American woman to reach the summit of Lhotse
. That same year, the Boskoffs purchased the adventure travel firm Mountain Madness from the estate of Scott Fischer
, a mountaineer who died climbing Mount Everest
in 1996. In 1999, Keith Boskoff committed suicide
, leaving her a widow. Following his death Christine Boskoff continued to run Mountain Madness, still considered one of leading mountaineering schools and international guide services in America.
Boskoff was the only American woman to reach the summits of six 8000m peaks (three additional 8000m expeditions were forced to turn back before reaching the summit). She navigated Mount Everest
, Shishapangma
, Gasherbrum II
, Cho Oyu
, and Broad Peak
. She made winter ascents of Mount Angor and Mount Kilimanjaro
and climbed Mount Blanc and the Matterhorn
. Boskoff mainly eschewed corporate sponsorship for expeditions, choosing to climb without the pressure of media and corporate attention. In her later years, she turned her climbing efforts to first ascents of lower, lesser-known peaks in Asia
.
Boskoff lived in Seattle, Washington and Norwood, Colorado
, and served on the Board of Directors for the charity Room to Read
.
, http://www.mountainmadness.com/news/rockice04.cfm Charlie Fowler
, began a new climb of Genie Mountain (a 20354 feet (6,203.9 m) mountain that is also known as Genyen Peak
) in Sichuan Province, China
, in November 2006. After sending an e-mail on November 8, 2006, the two did not send any further communication and missed a previously arranged meeting with their driver scheduled for November 24. They were last reported seen at a monastery several thousand feet below the summit of Genyen on November 12. They were officially reported missing on December 4, 2006, after they failed to return to the United States as planned.
Their deaths are believed to be the result of an avalanche on the mountain. Both Chinese and American rescue teams searched for them, but the two had not left word with anyone which routes they were planning to take.
On December 27, 2006, rescue teams found the body of Charlie Fowler http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/climber.identified.ap/index.html but the search continued for Boskoff's body. On July 9, 2007, Boskoff's company reported her body had been found the previous week, though the danger of falling rocks stopped search crews from retrieving her body http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070709/APC0101/70709046/1979. Boskoff's body was not brought down from the 14000 feet (4,267.2 m) peak for about a month, until 15 rescuers could climb the rocky terrain to bring it down.
A Room to Read memorial fund was set up in Boskoff’s name to benefit school children in Nepal. Boskoff was a former board member of the organization http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070709/APC0101/70709046/1979.
Mountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
.
Early life
Christine Joyce Feld (her maiden name) was the youngest of four children (with three older brothers) of Robin and Joyce Feld. Upon her May 1991 graduation from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Feld put her bachelor of science in electrical engineeringElectrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
degree to work for Lockheed Aeronautical Systems
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. There she was the team leader for a group that designed software for a lighted control display for the C-130J military cargo plane.
First experiences in mountaineering
Christine Feld Boskoff's first taste of mountaineerMountaineer
-Sports:*Mountaineering, the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains, also known as alpinism-University athletic teams and mascots:*Appalachian State Mountaineers, the athletic teams of Appalachian State University...
ing was a two-day climbing course in 1993; within a very short time she was climbing technical high-altitude peaks. Her first major summit was Tariji in the Bolivian Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. Following this climb she began organizing climbing expeditions to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Climbing with her husband Keith Boskoff, in 1997 Christine Boskoff became the first North American woman to reach the summit of Lhotse
Lhotse
Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Everest via the South Col. In addition to the main summit at 8,516 metres above sea level, Lhotse Middle is and Lhotse Shar is...
. That same year, the Boskoffs purchased the adventure travel firm Mountain Madness from the estate of Scott Fischer
Scott Fischer
Scott E. Fischer was an American climber and guide, and the first American to summit 27,940-foot Lhotse, fourth highest mountain in the world.-Career:...
, a mountaineer who died climbing Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
in 1996. In 1999, Keith Boskoff committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, leaving her a widow. Following his death Christine Boskoff continued to run Mountain Madness, still considered one of leading mountaineering schools and international guide services in America.
Boskoff was the only American woman to reach the summits of six 8000m peaks (three additional 8000m expeditions were forced to turn back before reaching the summit). She navigated Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
, Shishapangma
Shishapangma
Xixabangma, frequently spelled Shishapangma or Shisha Pangma , also called Gosainthān , is the fourteenth-highest mountain in the world and, at 8,013 m , the lowest of the eight-thousanders...
, Gasherbrum II
Gasherbrum II
Gasherbrum II , also known as K4, is the 13th highest mountain on Earth, located on the border of Gilgit-Baltistan province, Pakistan and Xinjiang, China...
, Cho Oyu
Cho Oyu
Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu lies in the Himalayas and is 20 km west of Mount Everest, at the border between China and Nepal...
, and Broad Peak
Broad Peak
Broad Peak , is the 12th highest mountain on Earth, with an elevation of 8,051 meters . The literal translation of "Broad Peak" to Faichan Kangri is not accepted among the Balti people.- Geography :...
. She made winter ascents of Mount Angor and Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
and climbed Mount Blanc and the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
. Boskoff mainly eschewed corporate sponsorship for expeditions, choosing to climb without the pressure of media and corporate attention. In her later years, she turned her climbing efforts to first ascents of lower, lesser-known peaks in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Boskoff lived in Seattle, Washington and Norwood, Colorado
Norwood, Colorado
Norwood is a Statutory Town in San Miguel County, Colorado, United States. The population was 438 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Norwood is located at ....
, and served on the Board of Directors for the charity Room to Read
Room to Read
Room to Read is an international non-profit organization with its global headquarters in San Francisco, California. Founded on the belief that World Change Starts With Educated Children, the organization focuses on literacy and gender equality in education...
.
Disappearance in China
Boskoff and her boyfriendBoyfriend
A boyfriend is a person's regular male companion in a romantic or sexual relationship, although normally not in long-term committed relationships, where other titles A boyfriend is a person's regular male companion in a romantic or sexual relationship, although normally not in long-term committed...
, http://www.mountainmadness.com/news/rockice04.cfm Charlie Fowler
Charlie Fowler
Charlie Fowler was an American mountain climber, writer, and photographer. He was one of North America’s most experienced mountain climbers, and successfully climbed many of the world’s highest peaks...
, began a new climb of Genie Mountain (a 20354 feet (6,203.9 m) mountain that is also known as Genyen Peak
Mount Genyen
Mount Genyen or Ge'nyen, is a mountain in the West Sichuan Mountain Range in China. With an elevation of , it is the third highest peak in the Chinese province of Sichuan. It was first climbed by Karl Unterkircher with a Japanese team in 1988.Genyen is regarded as the 13th most holy mountain...
) in Sichuan Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, in November 2006. After sending an e-mail on November 8, 2006, the two did not send any further communication and missed a previously arranged meeting with their driver scheduled for November 24. They were last reported seen at a monastery several thousand feet below the summit of Genyen on November 12. They were officially reported missing on December 4, 2006, after they failed to return to the United States as planned.
Their deaths are believed to be the result of an avalanche on the mountain. Both Chinese and American rescue teams searched for them, but the two had not left word with anyone which routes they were planning to take.
On December 27, 2006, rescue teams found the body of Charlie Fowler http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/12/28/climber.identified.ap/index.html but the search continued for Boskoff's body. On July 9, 2007, Boskoff's company reported her body had been found the previous week, though the danger of falling rocks stopped search crews from retrieving her body http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070709/APC0101/70709046/1979. Boskoff's body was not brought down from the 14000 feet (4,267.2 m) peak for about a month, until 15 rescuers could climb the rocky terrain to bring it down.
A Room to Read memorial fund was set up in Boskoff’s name to benefit school children in Nepal. Boskoff was a former board member of the organization http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070709/APC0101/70709046/1979.
See also
- Charlie FowlerCharlie FowlerCharlie Fowler was an American mountain climber, writer, and photographer. He was one of North America’s most experienced mountain climbers, and successfully climbed many of the world’s highest peaks...
(her climbing partner; Found dead) - Mount GenyenMount GenyenMount Genyen or Ge'nyen, is a mountain in the West Sichuan Mountain Range in China. With an elevation of , it is the third highest peak in the Chinese province of Sichuan. It was first climbed by Karl Unterkircher with a Japanese team in 1988.Genyen is regarded as the 13th most holy mountain...
(believed to be last known location)