Charlotte Fox, a survivor of the 1996 Everest Disaster, has died in her home from an apparent fall. 

Charlotte Fox became a household name after having survived the 1996 Everest Disaster that claimed eight lives in one of the deadliest mountaineering disasters in May of that year.

The skilled climber died on 24 May after suffering an apparent fall from the top of the stairs in her Colorado home, The Washington Post reported.

Coincidentally, Fox’s birthday, 10 May, is the same as the 1996 Everest Disaster date and she died just two weeks after turning 61 this May.

In her obituary, Fox is described as a southern belle with a distinguishable belly laugh; a woman who could survive on the toughest of mountains. She was a native of North Carolina but spent much of her adult life in Colorado, having served as a high altitude ski patroller over the past 30 years.

According to the reports surrounding her death, Charlotte Fox died of head injuries she suffered after falling over a staircase railing.

Her body was found on the evening on which she died by two of her friends, Kim Reynolds and Peter O’Neil. Both had been invited to her home for the Mountainfilm festival taking place that weekend.

According to the Telluride Daily Planet, Reynolds and O’Neil left the home to attend separate dinners. Upon returning, they discovered Fox’s body at the bottom of her staircase, which they described as “steep.”

The coroner does not believe foul play was involved.

Fox is remembered by her peers as an excellent climber with a humble attitude. Her accomplishments include being the first woman to climb three 8,000ers and the first American woman to summit Gasherbrum II. In her last expedition this May, she climbed Baruntse.

Neal Beidleman, the guide who saved Charlotte Fox and four other members of her team in 1996, said that her manner of death was “shocking.” He also stated that while the 1996 Everest Disaster did not necessarily make them closer, even though their paths crossed afterward, he did hold her in high regard and thought the feeling was mutual.

Fox served on the board of the American Alpine Club and AccessOne.

For more information on the 1996 Everest Disaster, see 1996 Everest Disaster Films.

Sources:

Flynn, Meagan. “Charlotte Fox, Climber of the Tallest Peaks, Survivor of 1996 Everest Disaster, Dies after an Apparent Fall at Home.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 31 May 2018.

Denicke, Amy. “Former Aspen Climber Charlotte Fox, Survivor of Mount Everest Disaster, Dies in Home Accident, Friends Say.” Aspen Times, Swift Communications, Inc, 29 May 2018.

Criado, Justin, and Leslie Vreeland. “Remembering Charlotte Fox.” Telluride Daily Planet, 29 May 2018.

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