Organisation: Gruppo Aplinistico Shisha Pangma of Albino (BG)

Team: Simone Moro (Italy, professional mountaineer), Anatoli Boukreev (Kazakistan - professional guide and mountaineer), Dilitri Sobolev (Russia - cameraman)

The tragic events of an unfortunate climb. At 12.30 hours on Christmas Day, the roped party was busy on the East wall of Annapurna Fang, sister mountain of Annapurna, which was chosen as the route by which to climb to reach the principal summit. This decision was dictated by the fact that the wall south of the Annapurna, the traditional route for the climb, looked extremely dangerous due to the condition of the snow. The approach collided with the uncertainty of climbing at an altitude of 6,300 metres and the roped group was hit by an avalanche provoked by a sheet of ice, therefore absolutely incalculable. Boukreev and the Russian cameraman were hit head-on by the avalanche, falling 800 metres. Simone Moro was also hit, but he was able to slow his fall by grabbing hold of the fixed ropes which had been set up earlier. In a desperate attempt to keep his grip on the rope, Moro's hands were seriously injured and he was heavily bruised about the face and most of his body.
In spite of his injuries, Moro reached base camp. From there, he was taken to Katmandu by helicopter.
The bodies of Boukreev and Sobolev were never found and were probably buried under the snow mass. It is in that way that one of the most prestigious mountaineering careers of recent years was brought tragically to an end, a career which had seen Boukreev become one of the best Himalayan climbers and a person who was known for his great feats in the over 8000 metres, among them saving colleagues in difficulty; his name will forever be linked to the rescue he carried out on the slopes of Everest on 10 and 11 May 1996, during a tragic moment in the history of contemporary mountaineering (events recounted by journalist and climber Jon Krakauer in his best-seller "Thin Air").
After an operation to limit the damage to the tendon in his left hand, Simone Moro has begun a rehabilitation programme to bring his hand back to full efficiency. The Bergamascan climber intends to return to top class mountaineering as quickly as possible.