KROPP, (Lars Olaf) Göran 1966-2002

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born November 12, 1966 (one source says December 11), in Sweden; died in a fall September 30, 2002, in Vantage, WA. Adventurer, lecturer, and author. Kropp was renowned as an enthusiastic mountaineer who became famous for climbing Mt. Everest and K2 without the use of guides or bottled oxygen. He was introduced to climbing by his father, who first took him on expeditions in the mountains of Sweden when Kropp was only seven years old. Later, when he was a paratrooper with the Swedish Army in the 1980s, Kropp's interest in climbing was fanned into an roaring flame, and he determined to spend his life ascending new heights. In addition to climbing the world's tallest peaks, he also went on bicycle trips all across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and he attempted a lengthy ski trip across Siberia that failed because of extremely low temperatures and dangerous polar bears. Kropp shared his enthusiasm for his travels by giving entertaining lectures around the world that were famous for the speaker's wide-eyed sense of humor and natural storytelling gifts. He related some of his adventures in the book Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey (1999) and produced the 1997 movie I Made It: Göran Kropp's Incredible Journey to the Top of the World, which won the Best Film award at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. He was also named "The Most Entertaining Adventurer on Earth" in 2002 by National Geographic magazine. Kropp died after falling seventy-five feet while climbing the Air Guitar route near Frenchmen Coulee.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Independent (London, England), October 3, 2002, p. 22.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 2, 2002, p. A1.

Times (London, England), October 4, 2002.