Karl Prusik (1896-1961) was an Austrian mountaineer. Prusik served twice as President of the Austrian Alpine Club (AAC) and is credited with establishing over 70 ascents and routes.[1] He is also recognised as the inventor of the Prusik knot (sometimes misspelled as Prussic)[2].
Prusik was born May 19, 1896, in Vienna, Austria, to parents of Czech origins. After the Anschluss, Prusik was a supporter of the then Nazi German Alpine Club (German: Deutscher Alpenverein) led by Arthur Seuss-Inquart. In 1941, at the age of 45, Prusik was called to serve as a lieutenant in the Nazi German Wehrmacht. In 1942, he was promoted to captain and received the War Merit Cross, 2nd class, for operations behind the Nazi front.[1]
In 1947, Prusik became the first Vice President of the Österreichischer Alpenklub (ÖAK.). Prusik Peak in the Cascade Range of Washington state is named in honour of Karl Prusik.[3] Also, a route in the Slovenian Alps was named after Karl Prusik and his climbing partner, Roman Szalay.[4] He died May 8, 1961, in Perchtoldsdorf, Austria, at the age of 65.
References
- ^ a b "About: Karl Prusik". dbpedia.org. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
- ^ https://www.animatedknots.com/prusik-knot
- ^ Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.
- ^ "Triglav and Travnik, important winter ascents in Slovenia by Mrak, Vukotič and Marčič". PlanetMountain.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.