American Climber Mike Gardner Falls to His Death on Jannu East

American mountaineer Mike Gardner has died after falling on Jannu East in the Himalaya. Gardner was a mountain guide from Idaho, and an experienced alpinist with many ascents on Denali and over 150 ascents in the Grand Tetons. Gardner was climbing with Sam Hennessey who was awarded an American Alpine Club Cutting Edge Award to help fund the expedition to Jannu East. Hennessey descended the mountain safely with assistance from a French climbing team consisting of Benjamin Vedrines, Leo Billon and Nicolas Jean, according to Jocelyn Chavy's article in Alpine Mag. Gardner reflected on the paradox between the joy of mountaineering and the ever present dangers that accompany all climbs in an Alpinist podcast. “I don’t have a really clear, well-thought-out answer…why I go to the mountains when there’s so much hurt and tragedy there for me, yet there’s so much joy, and the answer lies somewhere in the middle of these paradoxes.” The French climbing team of Benjamin Vedrines, Leo Billon, and Nicolas Jean aborted thei