http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/aussie-photographer-killed-in-himalaya-avalanche/story-e6frg6nf-1111112960504
AUSTRALIAN skiier and mountain climber Shaun Kratzer was killed yesterday pursuing his passion in the Himalayas.
Mr Kratzer, 31, died while skiing at Gulmarg, a tourist resort north of the Indian city of Srinagar, renowned for its beauty.
Rescuers yesterday recovered Mr Kratzer’s body from the slopes of Mount Afarwat at a height of 4115m.
Initial reports said he was caught in an avalanche after straying into an unmarked area considered unsafe for skiing. He was travelling with two friends, who are believed to have been skiing with him but to have survived the snow storm.
Melting snow is known to trigger avalanches as the weather warms up in the region.
One of Australia’s leading climbing photographers, Mr Kratzer had worked at ski resorts around the world and was on a sojourn in the Kashmiri resort town while returning from Europe to Australia.
Numerous examples of Mr Kratzer’s work are on the internet, displaying his love of rock climbing and the lives of those who pursued the sport. He was a leading member of the Victorian and La Trobe climbing and mountaineering clubs, and was not shy about helping beginners and building climbing equipment.
His father, Gerd, said his son was an experienced and keen skiier who had worked in resorts in Victoria and the US. “Shaun died loving what he loved to do. It is just the irony of it,” Mr Kratzer said from his home in Melbourne. “He was always an outdoor person. He loved climbing and hiking.”
Mr Kratzer worked as an equipment manager at Mount Buller. He had spent skiing seasons working at Mount Copper in America and had been in Gulmarg since January 24.
Gulmarg witnessed militancy in the 1990s. But since a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in 2003, it has enjoyed a period of peace. The town is nestled within the Himalayan peaks, and lies close to the Line of Control.
Gulmarg was a favourite haunt of Emperor Jehangir, and was given its name in the 16th century by Sultan Yusuf Shah, who was inspired by the area’s wild flowers. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said the family would be given all the consular assistance required.
The last Australian climber to die in the Himalayas was mountaineer Sue Fear, 43.
The Sydney climber plunged to her death in a crevasse on Nepal’s teacherous Mount Manaslu last May.
Her death came after Lincoln Hall survived a night on Mount Everest after being left for dead and discovered hallucinating by an American climber the following day.