Climber Missing On Makalu

MountEverest.net is reporting that Jean Christophe Lafaille, who is attempting to climb Makalu, solo and in winter no less, has gone missing. He last reported in via satellite phone to his wife last Thursday, the day before he made his summit bid. At the time, reported that his batteries were failing, but that he was going to attempt the final push to the top the following day. Since then, there has been no word.

A small plane was going to do a fly over of the area sometime today in an attempt to see if Lafaille's tent was still in his last camp site. If it is still there, it's possible that the Frenchman failed in his summit attempt, and perhaps slipped into a crevasse.

Makalu is an 8462 meter peak (27765 feet) located in Himalayan mountain range in Nepal. It is the 5th highest peak in the world, located about 14 miles east of Mount Everest. It is considered an extremely challenging climb, even more so than Everest, despite the fact that it isn't as tall. The Peak is a pyramid shape, with four tough ridges at each corner, adding to the complexity of the ascent.