Jeremy Evans - See You Tomorrow: The Disappearance of Snowboarder Marco Siffredi on Everest

Jeremy Evans is an author (The Battle for Paradise and In Search of Powder), climber, snowboarder, and award-winning journalist. He earned his bachelor of arts in journalism from Marquette University and his master of arts in teaching from Sierra Nevada University. Hes taught composition and adventure writing courses at Sierra Nevada University and Lake Tahoe Community College, and taught English at South Tahoe High School. He currently is the head mens and womens soccer coach at Lake Tahoe Community College and lives in South Lake Tahoe, California, with his wife, Izzy, and his two daughters, Olivia and Carmen.

I FIRST HEARD OF M ARCO IN 2001 AT THE NEWSPAPER IN C ARSON C ITY , Nevada, where I worked as a sportswriter. I sat at my desk one evening in May of that year and was scanning the sports category of the Associated Press news wire. I had started climbing mountains and snowboarding in the Sierra Nevada by then, so when a headline with Mount Everest came across the wire, I immediately clicked on the story. Thats when I learned of a French snowboarder and climber, a year or so younger than me, who combined two activities that were interests of mine.

Climbing Mount Everest and then snowboarding off the summit? Marco seemed like just about the coolest, most daring, person imaginable, and was certainly more interesting than what I was writing about at a small daily newspaper. I didnt hear much about Marco after that, partly because website journalism was in its infancy but mostly because snowboarding and climbing magazines in the United States hadnt written much about him. More than a year later, another article came across the AP news wire. This one, sadly, informed me that Marco was missing on Everest and was presumed dead. I couldnt have known it at the time, but a seed was planted that took about fifteen years to germinate.

Maybe I needed a good excuse to escape the monotony of being married with two kids, but telling Marcos storyespecially once I learned not much had been written about him in Englishbecame important to me. But this story could have never sprouted without my wife, Isabelle, who provided support and encouragement during the researching and writing of this book. She guided me both evaluatively and critically but did so in a way that wouldve never been possible before she became the amazing mother to our two beautiful daughters, Olivia and Carmen. I love you, Izzy, thank you.

No matter my intentions, without the support and approval by Marcos family and his extended circle of friends, this book wouldnt have been possible. I am sure it was not easy for them to allow an American who speaks no French to resurrect a tapestry of happy, but difficult, moments, anecdotes, and facts. To Philippe and Michele Siffredi, sisters Valerie and Anne (Shooty), and his friends Herv Cocco, Bertrand Delapierre, Ren Robert, Simon Favier, and Ludovic Collet, thank you for making yourselves available. Even when you didnt want to respond to my random and numerous requests, you were compelled to respond, not because of me but because of your love for Marco. He was a good son, brother, and friend, and he was lucky to have you all in his life. So, to all of you and also to Marcos then-girlfriend Stephanie, I wish you peace and harmony.

There are countless people who undoubtedly helped me tell Marcos story, and while it is impossible to list them all, these ones in particular offered their time and insight to help reveal a depth of Marcos character that would never have emerged otherwise: Russell Brice, Phurba Tashi, Craig Calonica, Alan Arnette, Billi Bierling, Owen West, Chris Warner, Ellen Miller, Jean Troillet, Tom Hornbein, Sharon Wood, Jochen Hemmleb, David Autheman, Jordi Tosas, Jeremy Jones, Stephen Koch, Steve Klassen, Adrian Ballinger, thank you for helping me tell the story of such a special person. To Laurent Molitor and Trey Cook, I appreciate your candor and willingness to assist another journalist who was writing about somebody you knew so well and revered so much. I didnt know it at the time, but one of the best parts of writing this book was connecting with all of you.

Since many of my interviews were conducted in French, getting them accurately translated was no easy task. Thank you to Adriana Mairey for assuming this task, and also thanks to Cassidy Jackson who transcribed my early interviews at a time when I couldnt keep up with all the information coming across my desk.

To my agent Jennifer Chen Tran, we wanted to work together before this book was born and when I was mired in an idea-less author purgatory. Thank you for believing in me and that I would, eventually, produce something worthwhile for you to represent. You were an advocate when I needed one most. Lastly, thank you to editor David Legere for seeing the importance in Marcos story and for his teams commitment in improving the manuscript during the editing process.

Every climb, particularly an alpine climb, has some element of risk, chance, the grand gamble. Obviously, we win most of the time, or the sport wouldnt be getting so popular. By acts of will and technology, we think we have it together, that were in control, and that our knowledge and skill will bring us through again. Rock is hard, and flesh is mortal. Nothing new in that, but lessons in mortality are not easily won. What happened out there in the sleepy rock morning? Did my good karma run out? Was my number up? Was it just my turn on the wheel of fortune?

A LAN M ILLER IN HIS ESSAY T HOUGHTS , PUBLISHED IN A 1983 C LIMBING MAGAZINE ARTICLE

M ARCO FELT PRESSURE TO SNOWBOARD THE H ORNBEIN C OULOIR, AS HE was convinced somebody else would. As of December 1, 2020, no climber, skier, or snowboarder has climbed the Hornbein. In the years after Marcos disappearance, interest has waned in skiing or snowboarding eight-thousand-meter peaks.

We thought about having a ski program for climbing these mountains, but it doesnt really work, Russell Brice said. I think its sort of died its own natural death because this stuff isnt particularly cool, its really difficult, and the success rate is low. The snow is also horrible at that altitude.

In August of 2018, American skiers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson recorded a first descent on Lhotse, Everests neighbor and the fourth- highest peak in the world at 27,940 feet. Their plan was to first succeed on Lhotse, then parlay that success and attempt the Hornbein. As of this writing, they have not attempted the route.

In the spring of 2018, Polish skier Andrzej Bargiel recorded a first descent of Pakistans K2, the worlds second-highest peak at 28,250 feet. K2s terrain is steeper and more unforgiving, and its weather more severe than Everests. If Bargiel could ski any route on K2, he could ski the Hornbein. Andrei planned to make a ski descent of an undetermined route on Everest in the fall of 2019, but he never executed his Everest plans.

Although the Everest climbing season was canceled in the spring and fall of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic that affected tourism and travel around the world, the Hornbein Couloir remains the most coveted first descent in backcountry skiing and snowboarding.

I think it will get ridden, but it wont be by me, said American Jeremy Jones, who is friends with Morrison and Nelson. I continue to hear Marcos name come up over and over. In that way, Marco and that line is still very present.

For climbing purposes, the next person to climb the Hornbein Couloir will be the first to be in that area since Marco in 2002. Almost all Everest climbs follow the two commercial routes. If someone were to ski, snowboard, or climb the Hornbein beyond 2020, their resulting trip report would confirm whether Marcos body is there and whether its above the crux section or below. If his body is not there, its likely that it will never be found.