Tomaž Humar (February 18, 1969 – c. November 10, 2009), nicknamed Gozdni Joža (akin to Hillbilly), was a Slovenian mountaineer. A father of two, Humar lived in Kamnik, Slovenia. He completed over 1500 ascents, and won a number of mountaineering and other awards, including the Piolet d'Or in 1997 for his Ama Dablam ascent.

Climbing career

Humar began climbing at 18 with the Kamnik Mountain Club. When he was 20, he was conscripted into the Yugoslavian army, an experience that horrified him. When he returned, he escaped to the mountains. He became widely recognized in 1999 after his solo ascent of the south face of Dhaulagiri, considered one of the deadliest routes in the Himalayas with a 40% fatality rate. Reinhold Messner, who attempted it twice unsuccessfully, called Humar's feat "the most important ascent of the decade". During a solo attempt to climb Nanga Parbat in 2005, Humar became trapped by avalanches and melting snow at an altitude of nearly 6000 meters. After six days in a snow cave he was rescued by a Pakistan Army helicopter crew on August 10, 2005: Lieutenant Colonel Rashid Ullah Baig and Major Khalid Amir Rana. On October 28, 2007, Humar reached the Eastern summit of Annapurna I, 8091 m, via a route at the far eastern end of the South Face.

Accident and death

On November 9, 2009, Humar, who was on a solo climb via the South Face of Langtang Lirung (last climbed in 1995 ), had an accident during the descent. He contacted his base camp staff via a satellite phone on the day of the accident, relaying that he was in critical condition with leg, spine and rib injuries, and fearing he was going to die. The next morning he contacted them again, only saying a few words before the line cut off. He was thought to be on the mountain at an elevation of approximately 6,300 meter, but a helicopter failed to spot him. Several days later his body was found on at an elevation of 5,600 meter.

Prominent expeditions