Zuzana Hofmannová

Zuzana Hofmannová
Personal information
Native nameZuzana Hofmannová
Born(1959-06-15)15 June 1959
Czechoslovakia
Died31 July 2012(2012-07-31) (aged 53)
Broad Peak
Climbing career
Type of climber
Known forFirst Czech to summit Manaslu
First ascentsFirst winter ascent of Piz Badile

Zuzana Hofmannová, née Charvátová (15 June 1959 – 31 July 2012, Broad Peak, Pakistan) was a Czech mountaineer, alpinist, and rock climber. She summitted four eight-thousanders: Shishapangma, Cho Oyu, Manaslu, and Broad Peak, becoming the first Czech woman on top of three of them, Shishapangma, Manaslu and Broad Peak.

Climbing career

Hofmannová first encountered mountain climbing from a television documentary about Nanga Parbat when she was 15.[1] She would go on to become one of the top Czech mountaineers of her generation and ranked among the top European alpine climbers in the 1980s.[2]

Early climbs

Hofmannová first started rock climbing in Labské Údolí, in the Elbe Valley, against her parents' permission.[1] In 1979, she joined the Czech climbing association where she was coached by Václav Širl.[3] She soon gained attention for her climbing. In 1982 she made the first female free ascent and also the first winter ascent of Piz Badile alongside Alenou Stehlíkovou, via the Direttissima Isherwood-Kosterlitz route.[4][5]

In 1985, she summited Huascarán (6655 m) in Peru's Cordillera Blanca as part of an all-female expedition team.[6] By 1988 she had made over 100 ascents across different routes in the High Tatras.[7]

Himalayas

In 1984 she made her first Himalayan climb with an ascent attempt at Dhaulagiri, reaching 7,900m.[8] In 1985, she was part of the first ascent by an all female team on the north face of Huascarán in the Peruvian Andes, alongside Blanka Nedvědická, Ewa Szoresniak, Ewa Pankiewicz, and Amalia Kaploniak.[7][9] She returned to Huascarán in 1998, becoming the first woman to summit via the North Face twice.[10]

In 2003 she appeared as herself in Ceské himalájské dobrodruzstvía, a Czech documentary series on the Himalayas.[11] Over the next years she focused on climbing in the Himalayas, and would become the first Czech woman atop Shishapangma (2004) and the first Czech person to summit Manaslu (2006).[12][13][14]

A 2005 summit attempt on Nanga Parbat was aborted due to an avalanche.[15]

In 2009, she successfully summitted her third eight-thousander, Cho Oyo.[16][17]

Final expedition

On 31 July 2012, at age 53, Hofmannová became the first Czech woman to summit Broad Peak. It would be her fourth summit over 8,000m.[13][12][18] She summited solo, and died on the descent, possibly due to an avalanche.[19][20] Her climbing partners Antonín Bělík and Vít Auermüller were not with her after they diverted to save the life of a Tawiannese climber on their way to the summit.[21][22]

In 2013, she was named an Honorary Member of the Czech National Academy of Sciences.[23]

Notable climbs

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Krepindl, Martin (2012-08-07). "PROFIL: Zuzana Hofmannová si troufla na dvanáctou nejvyšší horu světa. Už se nevrátila". Hospodářské noviny (HN.cz) (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  2. ^ Horosvaz. "Události - Český horolezecký svaz - ČHS". www.horosvaz.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  3. ^ Horosvaz. "Osobnosti - Český horolezecký svaz - ČHS". www.horosvaz.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  4. ^ a b "Pizzo Badile British route climbed in winter by Silvan Schüpbach, Peter von Känel". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  5. ^ a b Griffin, Lindsay (July 28, 2012). "First solo of legendary route on northeast face of Piz Badile". www.thebmc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  6. ^ Horosvaz. "České Výstupy roku 1985 - Český horolezecký svaz - ČHS". www.horosvaz.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  7. ^ a b layout), Jiří Lukáš (phpRS), (c) Petr Suchý (phpRS modification, modules &. "Zuzana Hofmannová zemřela na Broad Peaku". www.horyinfo.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-06-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ a b Horosvaz. "Události - Český horolezecký svaz - ČHS". www.horosvaz.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  9. ^ "AAC Publications - South America, Peru-Cordillera Blanca, Huascarán Norte, North Face, Women's Ascent". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  10. ^ a b c "Horolezkyně Hofmanová nesestoupila z Broad Peaku | ČeskéNoviny.cz". www.ceskenoviny.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  11. ^ Ceské himalájské dobrodruzství (Documentary), Alena Cepelková, Ladislav Drda, Zuzana Hofmannová, retrieved 2024-06-14{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. ^ a b "VRCHOLENI.cz". www.vrcholeni.cz. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  13. ^ a b Shahid, Jamal (2012-08-09). "Alpine club confirms deaths on Broad Peak". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  14. ^ Horosvaz. "Komentář k oceněným výkonům a hodnocení sezóny 2006 - Český horolezecký svaz - ČHS". www.horosvaz.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  15. ^ Horosvaz. "NANGA PARBAT 2005 LIGHT EXPEDITION CZ - Český horolezecký svaz - ČHS". www.horosvaz.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  16. ^ Horosvaz. "Události - Český horolezecký svaz - ČHS". www.horosvaz.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  17. ^ "Cho Oyu 8201m Expedition, Expedition in Cho Oyu, Cho Oyu Expedition". www.nepalexpedition.com. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  18. ^ "Mountaineer missing after reaching summit of Broad Peak". Radio Prague International. 2012-08-06. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  19. ^ "Òscar Cadiach renuncia a intentar el Broad Peak y regresa a casa". Desnivel.com (in Spanish). 2012-08-09. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  20. ^ Shahid, Jamal (2012-08-03). "Czech climber goes missing on Broad Peak". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  21. ^ Horosvaz. "Cena Fair Play pro V. Auermüllera a A. Bělíka - Český horolezecký svaz - ČHS". www.horosvaz.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  22. ^ "VRCHOLENI.cz". www.vrcholeni.cz. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  23. ^ Horosvaz. "Zuzana Hofmannová - Český horolezecký svaz - ČHS". www.horosvaz.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2025-03-20.

Further reading

  • "Zuzka". Vol. 23, no. 5. 2012-10-08. pp. 46–50. ISSN 1212-7957.
  • "Dvakrát severní stěnou Huarascánu Norte". Vol. 23, no. 5. 2012-10-08. pp. 51–52. ISSN 1212-7957.
  • "Báječná léta se Zuzanou". Vol. 14, no. (plus). 2003. pp. 22–23. ISSN 1212-7957.
  • "Vzpomínám si na ty časy…". Vol. 14, no. (plus). 2003. pp. 16–20. ISSN 1212-7957.
  • BAŤKOVÁ, Šárka; HAINCOVÁ, Jitka; LUKEŠOVÁ, Hana; SLÁMOVÁ, Lenka. Ženy & Frauen: Inspirativní ženy Ústeckého kraje. Ústí nad Labem: Knihovna Ústeckého kraje, 2024. ISBN 978-80-7055-293-3. S. 32–35.