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Shaun 'Shaggy' Kratzer killed in Himalayan Kashmir

Bob Saki

8-Feb-2007
9:45:20 AM

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/death-in-the-himalayas/2007/02/08/1170524196409.html

Don't know if anyone here knew this guy but some people on the ski forum did and I know there are some skiiers here.

RIP


Megan

8-Feb-2007
9:49:33 AM

It's Shaggy.


romfrantic

8-Feb-2007
10:01:54 AM

Oh boy....
There are many here (as well as at www.ski.com.au) who were close friends with him....condolences to all who knew him.

dalai

8-Feb-2007
10:09:53 AM

That's shocking news!!!

My condolences go out to his family and friends!


nmonteith

8-Feb-2007
10:29:42 AM

oh no. I read the name this morning and it didn't click. Peace brother.


phil_nev

8-Feb-2007
10:46:26 AM

This is very very sad... He was always smiling and up for a chat. I will definitly miss his antics at the pines.
My condolonces to all his family and close friends...

simey

8-Feb-2007
11:15:24 AM

That is really shocking news.

I didn't know him well, but I really enjoyed his presence out at Arapiles. Shaggy used to be known as Mayor of the Pines. He was a definite character in an era when characters have been sadly lacking in the climbing scene.

Shaggy was pretty knowledgeable, competent and cautious climber who seemed to enjoy spending most of his time chilling at Araps and climbing with a variety of people rather than obsessing about climbing the highest grades he could. He was one of the people that made camping and living at the Pines a far more social and entertaining experience.

He had an eye for discovering quality easier routes (which is a rarity amongst the ego-driven world of first ascentionists). His establishment of a popular multi-pitch grade 14 on Tiger Wall (which simply became known as Shaggy's Route in preference to its original name) is one of only a few good easier routes that will make the cut in the new Arapiles Select Guide.

Given that I hadn't seen him for quite a period, I was looking forward to catching up and hearing all about his latest adventures. Whether he was climbing, skiing, taking photos, or running nightclubs... he seemed to lead a colourful life.

It's a real tragedy that he is gone.


new2thegame

8-Feb-2007
11:36:34 AM

RIP Shaggy.Ditto experienced all his facets his clubs,kitchens ,climbing and skiing.Many turns in the great beyond


nmonteith

8-Feb-2007
11:41:42 AM


Ell

8-Feb-2007
12:13:03 PM

Bugger.

I heard it on the radio this morning and wondered if it was anyone I knew.

Shaggy was a real character.

molybdenum

8-Feb-2007
12:15:45 PM

This is tragic news - my heart goes out to his family & all his mates. He was a good guy, and will be missed.


ShinToe Warrior

8-Feb-2007
12:29:47 PM

Shaggy, May your Spirit go in Peace for all your adventures to come...


nmonteith

8-Feb-2007
2:54:19 PM

from theage.com this afternoon (8.2.2007)

A Melbourne man reported to have died in an avalanche in the Himalayas yesterday was a skilled
photographer, mountaineer and skier who was always preparing for his next adventure, a friend has
said. Shaun Kratzer, 31, was killed while skiing at the Gulmarg resort near Srinagar, the summer
capital of India's Jammu-Kashmir state. Friend Corey Putkunz said Mr Kratzer would be greatly
missed by a wide circle of Victorian rock climbers, many of whom Mr Kratzer photographed at
favourite climbing spots such as Mount Arapiles in the state's west. "Shaun was a dear friend to
many, who was always willing to devote his time and effort to his own and his friends' adventures and
ideas," Mr Putkunz told theage.com.au via email. "He was a skilled rock climber and skier who'd spent
many summer months living at the cliffs of Victoria's premier climbing locations, preferring to spend
his winters working in the ski fields of resorts such as Mount Buller (in Victoria). "He also worked as a
professional photographer, leaving his mark taking photos of everything from climbing to advertising
shoots. "I will remember him most as a best mate and for his amazing charisma and lust for new
adventures on rock and in the mountains, which left me with fond memories after every trip. "His spirit
will be missed by many." Kratzer was a long-time member of the La Trobe University Mountaineering
Club and was known as "Shaggy" to his friends. Last winter he worked at a ski shop at Mount Buller,
Black Mountain Equipment. This morning friends have written of their shock and posted tributes to Mr
Kratzer on the rock climbing website, www.chockstone.org. "Shaggy used to be known as Mayor of
the Pines," wrote one. "He was a definite character in an era when characters have been sadly lacking
in the climbing scene." Mr Kratzer had been on a skiing holiday at the 4115-metre high slopes of
Gulmarg since January 24. It is believed he had been staying at the backpacker-style Green Heights
Hotel with two friends. Mohd Yasein Khan, who owns a ski shop at Gulmarg, said Kratzer had been a
competent telemark skier. "He came into my shop," he said. Mr Khan said he had witnessed efforts to
save the Victorian man."There were many people, about 30, trying to find him for more than half an
hour," he told theage.com.au. Mr Khan said Mr Kratzer's friends, a man and a woman, were still at the
resort. More than 100 foreign tourists were skiing in Gulmarg yesterday. However, Mr Kratzer was
caught in the avalanche as he strayed into an unmarked area considered unsafe for skiing, a local
tourist officer, Sarmad Hafiz, said. A statement released by local police reported that Mr Kratzer had
been swept two kilometres by the avalanche, which buried him for about 45 minutes before a rescue
team reached his body. Mr Kratzer's family did not want to comment today. Melting snow triggers
avalanches as weather warms up in the region. Gulmarg is a mountain shelf nestled under the 4124
metre-high and five-kilometre shoulders of Mt Apharwat, at the western extremity of the world's highest
peaks.Pir Panjals are the first mountains hit by westerly and south-westerly storms that roll in over
Indus River flood plains each year, providing the greater part of the Himalayas' winter snowfalls.
Gulmarg, India's top ski resort, is a major attraction for adventure skiers from across the world and
boasts thousands of metres of untracked vertical descent and virtually no restrictions on off-piste
skiing.


tufa_humpa

8-Feb-2007
2:58:34 PM

will be out this weekend repeating a couple of climbs you sandbagged me onto, RIP mate.


anthonyk

8-Feb-2007
3:04:00 PM

On 8/02/2007 tufa_humpa wrote:
>will be out this weekend repeating a couple of climbs you sandbagged me
>onto, RIP mate.

running on Arapiles Standard Time i hope ;) AST is great, because its 4(?) hours fast you get to sleep in till 11 and still catch the nice early morning climbing

woogga

8-Feb-2007
3:17:27 PM

RIP Shaggy.
the only man who could have been created Arapiles Climbing Time so you never had to get out of bed before 9am (the clocks set to 9am at sunrise and adjusted every week), then adjusting those clocks by 10 mins so we could have the first fire of the season at 9.30 instead of midnight (and almost burning down my tarp setup that night). topping it all off by asking if there were any environmentalist around a crowed fire place, just before burning that surfboard!!
the new routes and boulder problems he set were always great to climb. shit f--- i just ate a beef burger ahhhhhhh!! (shaggys climb) was one of the first 15's i ever climbed after he sand bagged me onto it, and i never regretted it.
but most of all i have only been to araps a handful of time over the last 5 years when shaggy was not there and it just wasn't the same. he was a real character and will be sorely missed.
my condolences to his family and friends.

gfdonc

8-Feb-2007
3:59:58 PM

I'm with you Neil - read the Age this morning but didn't click until checking Chockstone just now.
I also have memories of Shaggy through this forum, chatting at the gyms and at the Pines.
Surely a "Pines Plaza" memorial is appropriate ...


nmonteith

8-Feb-2007
4:01:46 PM

i just re-checked the age newspaper from this morning - and they had different name listed. thus the
confusion!

joemor

8-Feb-2007
4:04:21 PM

RIP


anthonyk

8-Feb-2007
4:19:54 PM

On 8/02/2007 woogga wrote:
>the only man who could have been created Arapiles Climbing Time so you
>never had to get out of bed before 9am (the clocks set to 9am at sunrise
>and adjusted every week), then adjusting those clocks by 10 mins so we
>could have the first fire of the season at 9.30 instead of midnight

oops thats the one

RIP Shaggy

There are 44 messages in this topic.