Egeler Kees Geoffrey

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Biografie:
Kees Geoffrey Egeler(+)
Am 4. 6. 1983 starb im Alter von 66 Jahren Kees G. Egeler, Ehrenmitglied und in den Jahren 1965 bis 1968 Vorsitzender des Koninklijke Nederlandse Alpen-Vereniging. Als Professor für Geologie an der Universität Amsterdam führte er wichtige Forschungsarbeiten in verschiedenen Gebirgen der Welt durch, vornehmlich war er aber in Peru zu finden. 1950 lernte er mit seinem Berufskollegen, Tom De Boy, den Bergführer Lionel Terray kennen. Gemeinsam gelangen ihnen einige herrliche Anstiege in den Alpen. In Peru glückte ihnen 1952 die Erstbesteigung des Nord- (6113 m) und Hauptgipfels (6395 m) des schwierigen Huantsan. Auch der Nevado Pongos wurde erstbestiegen. 1956 war er wieder mit Terray in Peru: Erstbestiegen wurden der Nevado Veronica (5740 m) und der Nevado Soray (5780 m), zweitbestiegen der Salcantay (6264 m). Plötzlich erkrankt, mußte Egeler am Salcantay im Hochlager zurückbleiben, während seine Freunde den Gipfel erreichten. 1962 leitete er gemeinsam mit Terray eine wissenschaftlich-sportliche Himalaya-Expedition, in deren Verlauf der Nilgiri-Nordgipfel (7032 m) erstbestiegen und geologische Forschungen durchgeführt wurden. Seine Anden-Abenteuer schilderte Egeler in seinem Buch »Naar onbestegenen Andes toppen« (Zu unbestiegenen Anden-Gipfeln). –in-
Quelle: Der Bergsteiger 1984, Heft 2, Seite 85

Professor Dr. K. G. Egeler 1917-1983
Cheerful and forceful: sensitive, but not showing it. Many younger people must have been a bit scared of Kees, whose use of language often was somewhat shocking - to put it politely. The proverbial rough diamond. 'Très sympa’ the French would say, in other words.
Kees Egeler was a geologist, who loved combining mountain climbing with his professional field work. Long before expeditions in the modern sense were taken up by the Dutch he dreamt of being involved in one himself. Yet, it was pure coincidence that brought him into contact with Lionel Terray. At the Chamonix guide bureau Kees and his younger colleague Tom de Booy were passed on to him because the climbs they had in mind were not of the ordinary glacier wandering sort and Terray had built up the right kind of reputation. That was in the summer
of 1950, just after Annapurna!
The threesome Egeler-Terray-de Booy completely changed the Dutch climbing scene. Their earliest great exploit, in 1952, was an expedition to the Cordillera Blanca in Peru. To the public the first ascents of the Nevado Huantsan (6395m) and two minor peaks formed a stimulus it had never undergone before. It seemed everybody wanted to climb, and serious training courses were set up, the top ones being led by Terray. It resulted in a burst of young talent, which crowned the Egeler era when he led a group to Nilgiri (7031 m) in the Kali Gandaki region of Nepal in 1962. Once again de Booy was the organiser, once again Lionel Terray the lead climber. This time Kees did not reach the summit, but Lionel and three youngsters did.
It would be wrong to think of these expeditions as the real motivation for Kees Egeler and geology being a mere excuse. The reverse probably is true, the climbs were his reward for perseverance and involvement. Scientific objectives weighed heavier and they are referred to constantly in his reports. For us, climbers, months of studies in the Cordillera Blanca are condensed in eight pages and one geologist's view of the Nevado Pongos in his book Virgin summits in the Andes. However, many scientific journals extensively testify to the initiated. In preparing for a later expedition in the Kali Gandaki region, we once received reprints of his papers on that valley, which are standard references nowadays. Thus, science came before climbing. In his own words 'Mountains have played an exceptional role in my life. Even as a child I was gripped by their beauty and their spell only grew stronger through the years ... Structural geology, after all, became my field of study - as best fitting my ultimate goal: exploration of high mountain ranges'.
Because of his chance association with the late Lionel Terray his outlook on many things had a French flavour. He often quoted him, for instance in saying that the first quality of the expedition climber is a 'sense de collectivite.' But also in viewing the small enterprise, such as their 1952 3-man undertaking, where for a week during their successful summit bid no outside help was available, as the highest ideal. Being self-supporting in one's work, and working with a small close-knit team ...
His reference to the exceptional role of mountains was made in his farewell lecture as a professor at the University of Amsterdam, in November 1982. Halfa year later, he finally succumbed to a long illness, from which modern therapy had given him temporary reliefonly. He had valued the briefrecovery as a rebirth. He loved life.
In recognition for his trailblazing expedition activities the KNAV made him an Honorary member. He served as our President from 1965 to 1968. In 1967 he was elected a member of the Alpine Club.
When we lost Kees in June of this year, we lost not just a friend, we lost a source of true inspiration. Our sympathies are with Mieke and his children.
Alexander Verrijn-Stuart
Quelle: Alpine Journal Volume 89, 1984, Seite 273-274



Geboren am:
1917
Gestorben am:
04.06.1983