…
Switzerland
Max Eiselin, Swiss Alpine Pioneer, Dies at 94
Switzerland Desk · · 30s summary · 2 min read
The essentials
Max Eiselin, a pioneering Swiss mountaineer from Lucerne, died on July 9, 2026, at the age of 94, according to an obituary published in the Luzerner Zeitung. As expedition leader of the successful first ascent of Dhaulagiri — the world's seventh-highest peak at 8,167 metres in Nepal — in May 1960, Eiselin orchestrated this historic achievement without supplementary oxygen and using only rudimentary equipment. A plane malfunction prevented him from reaching the summit himself. Earlier, in the 1950s, he had opened Switzerland's first specialised mountain sports retail store.
- Max Eiselin died on July 9, 2026, at the age of 94.
- He led the first ascent of Dhaulagiri in May 1960, without supplementary oxygen.
- A plane malfunction prevented him from reaching the summit during this historic expedition.
- He opened Switzerland's first specialised mountain sports store in the 1950s.
- The last Eiselin store location closed in 2017.
What we know
Max Eiselin, a Swiss mountaineer from Lucerne, died on July 9, 2026, at the age of 94. According to Le Temps, the information comes from an obituary published in the Luzerner Zeitung.
Eiselin led, in May 1960, the eighth attempt at the first ascent of Dhaulagiri — a Himalayan peak in Nepal rising to 8,167 metres, the world's seventh-highest. This attempt was the first to succeed.
The expedition operated under extremely precarious conditions: reindeer-skin boots, tents sewn by the climbers themselves. With oxygen bottles insufficiently pressurised, the team reached the summit without respiratory assistance — a first at this altitude.
Eiselin himself could not reach the summit. The transport plane nicknamed 'Yeti' — a Pilatus PC-6 Porter, a single-engine short take-off and landing (STOL) utility aircraft designed by Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft — suffered an engine failure that prevented it from meeting up with his team.
Context
Alongside his mountaineering accomplishments, Eiselin was a pioneer of mountain retail in Switzerland. In the 1950s, he opened the country's first specialised mountain sports store.
The chain operated for several decades. In 2017, Keystone-ATS — Switzerland's leading news agency, formed from the merger of the Swiss Telegraph Agency (founded in 1894) with the Keystone photo agency in 2018 — reported the closure of the last store.
Chronology
- 1950sMax Eiselin opens Switzerland's first specialised mountain sports store.
- May 1960Under Eiselin's leadership, the expedition succeeds in the first ascent of Dhaulagiri, without supplementary oxygen. An engine failure of the Pilatus Porter 'Yeti' prevents Eiselin himself from reaching the summit.
- 2017Closure of the last Eiselin store reported by Keystone-ATS.
- July 9, 2026Max Eiselin dies at age 94, announced by an obituary published in the Luzerner Zeitung.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to react.