Mt. Genyen (6204m), Sichuan Province, China, the mountain upon which Christine Boskoff and climbing partner Charlie Fowler perished in late 2006. Boskoff’s body was recently discovered on July 3 at 17,000 feet, the same height that Fowler’s was found on December 27. A team will climb the remote peak next month, when conditions are safer, to retrieve her body. [Photo] Tamotsu Nakamura
The body of accomplished mountaineer Christine Boskoff was discovered on July 3 on the remote Mt. Genyen (6204m), Sichuan Province, China, almost seven months after she and climbing partner Charlie Fowler were reported missing. The pair likely were caught in a fatal avalanche on the peak in November. Fowler’s body was discovered on December 27 at 17,000 feet; Boskoff’s was found, with her camera and passport nearby, at the same height.
Mountain Madness, the Seattle-based guiding company Boskoff owned, supported the search for her body, both in December and then in May, June and July (the winter season precluded an effective search). Their attempts in May and June were unsuccessful because there “was clearly too much snow,” said Mark Gunlogson, President of Mountain Madness. “We resumed the recovery efforts for Chris once the weather improved and the rock fall hazards lessened.”
“It’s been a long time,” said Boskoff’s mother, Joyce Feld, who confirmed the July 3 disclosure. “It is a relief to know that they at least found the body.”
Boskoff’s body will be brought down from the peak in August, when conditions improve for a fifteen-man recovery team to climb and retrieve her. In the meantime the body has been covered with stones for preservation and protection from the elements.
There will be a memorial service in Boskoff’s native Appleton, Wisconsin next month, after the body is retrieved.
A memorial fund benefiting Room to Read has been founded in Boskoff’s name. The fund will support school children in Nepal by establishing schools, libraries, and scholarships for girls throughout the country. Boskoff formerly served as a board member of the non-profit organization. Room to Read will dedicate a school in her name.
To support the Boskoff memorial fund, donations may be sent to: Room to Read–Mountain Madness Appeal, The Presidio, PO Box 29127, San Francisco, CA 94129
Sources: Associated Press, www.everestnews.com, www.seattletimes.com, www.cbsnews.com, and with support from Nicholas Middleton