Turkish Cypriot mountaineer and skier Birkan Uzun, who recently reached the summit of Mount Vinson in Antarctica, has died in a skiing accident, Yeniduzen reported.
Uzun, aged 28, who was a resident of the USA, was skiing in Oregon when he fell into a pit following heavy snowfall. The pit, known as a tree well, is the space around a tree under its branches that does not get the same amount of snow as the surrounding open space. This creates a void or area of loose snow below the branches and around the trunk that is dangerous to any hikers, skiers, and snowboarders who fall into them.
US media reported on Friday, 31 December that a 28-year-old male skier was found under a tree on Bachelor Mountain in Oregon and was taken to the Emergency Room by patrols, but could not be saved.
After the skiing accident, the American Embassy announced that the deceased person was Turkish Cypriot Birkan Uzun.
Birkan Uzun was the son of Education Joint Services Department Director Cengiz Uzun.
Uzun, a Turkish Cypriot, who was an investment consultant in Washington state had had the ambition to be the first Turkish Cypriot to climb seven mountains in seven continents. Very close to his dream, Uzun, only five days before his fatal accident, had climbed to the top of Mount Vinson, the highest point of Antarctica at 4,892 metres, on December 16. When he reached the summit, he unfurled the TRNC flag.
President Ersin Tatar sent a message of condolence upon hearing of Uzun’s death following his accident.
In his message, Tatar said, inter alia, “Our Birkan, who is devoted to his country and nation with great love, will always live in the most special place in our hearts.”
