Vitor Negrete


Vítor Negrete was a mountaineer and the first Brazilian to reach the summit of Mount Everest without supplementary oxygen. He was also an adventure racer beginning in 2001. Among many other adventures, he had crossed the Amazon Rainforest and traveled from São Paulo state to the southernmost part of South America– Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia– on a bicycle. As a UNICAMP researcher in food engineering, he helped to introduce pre-industrialized food to poor communities in the Vale do Ribeira, south of the state of São Paulo. Negrete first reached the summit of Mount Everest on June 2, 2005. He reached it again on May 18, 2006, this time without supplementary oxygen, but died on the descent.

Previous climbs

In 2005 Negrete summited Everest and did not use oxygen until on Camp 3. He also summited Aconcagua in the Andes of South America.

Death on Everest

In May 2006, Negrete and his Brazilian teammate, Rodrigo Raineri, were attempting to climb Mount Everest following the north ridge route without the aid of oxygen. On May 16, 2006, Negrete received bad news on his arrival at Camp II. First, while making a summit bid, David Sharp, a British member of an expedition outfitted by Asian Trekking, the same outfitter used by the Brazilian team, had died on the mountain. In addition, Malaysian climber Ravi Chandran, also outfitted by Asian Trekking, was suffering from frostbite in two fingers and needed to descend to Base Camp for medical treatment. Finally, someone had looted and emptied a cache containing gear and food left by the Brazilians at Camp II. Negrete said “All these events have affected me deeply – I even considered calling the attempt off. However, Ravi told me to reach the summit for him."
On May 17, 2006, Negrete reported from Camp III that he was setting off for the summit. “I am going tonight, without O2, without a Sherpa and without a sat-phone, since the batteries of the one I have are almost gone," he told his friend Raineri, then resting at Base Camp after a failed summit bid. “I am going completely on my own. I promise I’ll be careful,” Negrete added. According to reports, Negrete called for help on the way down from the summit, which he had reached by noon on May 18. His Sherpa guide, Ang Dawa Sherpa, who had remained in Camp III, went immediately up to rescue him, reportedly finding Negrete still alive. Ang Dawa helped him back down to Camp III, but Negrete died soon afterwards.