Rob Gauntlett, the youngest British to climb Mt Everest, was killed at the French Alps. Gauntlett and his companion climber, James Atkinson, were killed in a climbing accident. Gauntlett and Atkinson were found dead Saturday, Jan. 10. Atkinson and Gauntlett were both 21.

Prior to Gauntlett’s claim to being the youngest Briton to scale Mount Everest, the record holder was Bear Grylls. Grylls reached the summit of Mount Everest when he was 23.

A third person in the climbing trip, James Hooper, also 21, survived. Hooper did not describe the accident but said Gauntlett’s qualities pushed him. Hooper suggested Gauntlett drove himself so hard that it probably cased his own death.

French Alps photo.

Rob Gauntlett and James Hooper story of their Pole to Pole journey, with photos included.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, January 11th, 2009 at 7:51 pm and is filed under Gossip.